Can you fix me?
by Elliewelly1
Summary: AU. Life had been perfect for her. Everything had been amazing and he had brought her a fresh batch of flowers home everyday- and then everything went wrong. Now she wears the scars on her body which prove there's no love left.
1. Prologue: For the first time

**A/N: This fic was inspired by the song 'No Love' By Simple Plan. **

**"You've learned the hard way,  
To shut your mouth and smile'**

**Disclaimer (I always tend to forget to do these) : I do not, in any shape or form, nor have I ever (not even in a past life!) or ever will, own Wild At Heart and it's characters, particularly Danice. Only in my wildest dreams, sadly. Think about it, if I'd owned them, they would've' freaking married the day after they met each other! **

_**Prologue.**_

The tears slip from Alice's eyes as she struggles to stay alive. The scars that trace her skin will never go away, and neither will the pain. He always tells her that he loves her. He always tells her that he just gets angry sometimes. While he's beating her she doesn't believe him- if he loved her, why did he beat her? But then he'd apologize and whisper sweet romantic words. She always gives in. She was in love with him, and love is blind.

Alice wonders how long she would be able to put up with all this- until the end of time maybe? She loved Terry, and she can't imagine her life without him. Even if he is the cause for the bruises that glitter her body.

Alice heard the familiar sound of his fist connecting with skin screaming through the room. She wondered why it didn't hurt. There was no ache, no throb, nothing. Alice opened her eyes and it was then that she realised why. She heard a whimper, but she wasn't sure who it came from. Herself? Or someone else?

For the first time, it wasn't her who had received the beating.

**(A/N: I'll continue with this once I finish 'getting through it all'. Which should be after about two or three more chapters. I just really wanted to put this up! - And I promise you this prologue will make sense once we get into about chapter 3 of the fic!) **

**Review?**

**Sorry I haven't updated my other fics. I'm wayyy too tired and feel like someones attacked me with a bat. Not in the best mood to write them- especially not 'wherever you are; i'll be right beside you' or 'my best friend' - though i'll try and update tomorrow. **


	2. Chapter one: An order

**Can you fix me? **

'_**Do you feel like a man when you push her around?  
**__**Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?'**_

_**- Face Down, Red jump suit apparatus **_

Alice watched the outside world from the window of the place she called home. Passers by didn't see her, the woman who looked so mightily frightened, staring at them with her lifeless dark blue eyes. They all continued with their lives and nobody ever noticed her there. Nobody noticed the bruise that was just healing on her shoulder. Nobody noticed the bruises and marks that glittered her arms, telling the tale of how he hurt her. They were yellow, blue, some even purple. Alice Collins was ashamed of these bruises. Alice Collins was supposed to be feisty, independent, fiery- everything but what she was when he was around. When he came in she became withdrawn into herself, frightened, you could probably even say petrified.

Nobody knew the on goings in that house except the three that lived there. Alice, Charlotte, and finally… Terry.

Alice was the one who was on the receiving end of the pain. Everything she did seemed to be wrong and she deserved punishment. Charlotte was Alice's daughter, the one who was too innocent. The one who didn't see it at all, because her mother hid it so well. Terry was the one who was the cause of the pain. He lashed out over anything at her.

It hadn't been like this at the beginning. No, everything had been perfect in the beginning. Terry always said that Alice could never do anything wrong, and he'd do anything for her, that she was his world. Alice was unsure at first, on whether she felt the same way, but eventually she gave in and decided that what she felt for Terry was love. Alice had brainwashed herself so much that she actually believed that she loved him.

_It was after about a year that everything went downhill. Terry came home drunk one night, he'd been to the pub with a couple friends. Alice was sitting on the sofa, watching some film she didn't remember putting on, waiting for him to come back. She felt odd going to bed without him, she couldn't remember ever going to bed without him. Charlotte was safely tucked in bed upstairs, oblivious to everything._

_Terry had come stumbling in, making loud noises and no attempt to be quiet. Alice jumped up from the sofa and had asked him where he'd been. Terry had slurred something about her being too whiny, too attached. Alice, who had been fiery and independent at the time, had been completely offended, and starting shouting at him- saying that she was no such thing. That was when he'd slung his fist around her face._

Now, Alice watched passers by. She wondered what it was like to have a happy, loving family. Even if in times in Africa it was hard to get by in life. But it was all she wanted. A happy loving family. She didn't care if she had to become the poorest woman in the world. She didn't care about money, clothes, shoes, none of that- she just cared about being loved, being appreciated.

The sunlight bounced off the window of Terry's car as he pulled up towards their home. Alice shuddered, and closed her eyes. Was he going to be angry? Or was he going to be okay today? Most of the time it was all depending on whether he'd had a good day or bad day at work.

A cold shiver of unease spread down Alice's spine as Terry jumped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. There was no mistaking the bad mood Terry was in. He was frowning and muttering to himself, his stride more purposeful and powerful than usual, even his stance screamed anger. Shouldn't those walking past notice? Shouldn't they wonder what's wrong? Shouldn't they wonder what happens in that house? Don't the neighbours wonder why they can hear a woman's sobs at night- the same time he comes home? Don't they wonder why she's crying? Why do they hear but still turn out the lights and fall asleep?

Terry usually comes home later when he's angry. Because he stops off at the local bar, ran by Fatani or something, and has a drink. Fatani notices how when he gets drunk he ends up getting angry, and he hopes that nobody gets in his path when he gets home. But unfortunately, there's someone at home, Alice, waiting for him, and she knows she'll gain a couple more bruises.

The door slammed open loudly and Alice jumped away from the window, glancing upstairs to Charlotte's room uneasily, hoping her daughter doesn't wake up and come downstairs. "Shh." She warned him half-heartedly, and she knew that wouldn't help his mood. Terry didn't enjoy being told what to do. Alice was right, too. Terry looked at her and raised an eyebrow, and closed the door behind him slowly and quietly, mocking her.

He looked up at her and grinned drunkenly, "All better Alice?" He asked, and though the question was supposed to be sarcastic, she could feel a bitter, darker tone to it. She looked away, back out the window, watching those with lives a million times better than her walk past. Terry's jaw flexed and he stormed over to her. She didn't notice, and was caught by surprise when he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall. Instinctively, her hands reached up to her neck to claw away at his hand. Terry smiled bitterly at her attempt. "I asked you a question Alice." He spat.

Alice closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again, fighting back the tears. "Yes." She whispered hoarsely.

Terry grinned malevolently and released the grip on her neck. Alice sighed in relief and held two hands to her throat, feeling the marks where Terry had been gripping so hard on her. Terry scrutinised her action and smiled slowly. She still had a yellowing bruise on her neck from once before, and now the marks on top of that, some reason this made Terry feel good- that he'd hurt her. That she wore the scars he engraved upon her.

"Wear sunglasses next time you go out." He murmured, pointing to her left eye. It was a wholly of colours. Red, purple, yellow, you name it. It was puffy, and it still hadn't healed, after at least one week, it hadn't gone down at all. No matter the amount of ice she'd pressed against it.

"I will." She answered quietly.

Of course she would. She had no other choice. Terry had ordered her to do so- and even though he'd said it quietly, she knew that if she didn't obey his orders, maybe the other eye would become swollen, too. And she just didn't want him to stab her with that blunt pencil again.


	3. Chapter two: Forced

**A/N: so, first off, sorry for lack of update- I've been so ill. I still feel really ill but my mum's let me back on my laptop. :D **

_**WARNING: this chapter contains dark content- I don't recommend reading it unless you're over the age of 13. (Though I'm sure you all are) and if you don't want to get depressed, don't read it.**_

**Can you fix me? **

'_**But never is a promise,  
**__**And you cant afford to lie'**_

_**- Never is a promise, Fiona Apple **_

She stayed quiet from then on. She didn't speak unless spoken to and she never looked at him unless he told her too. She received multiple bruises over her skin, and she made sure she covered them up well with layers of clothing- despite the fact that she lived in Africa. Her eye wouldn't go down though. It started to hurt a lot more too, and Alice found that worrying. It had been a couple weeks now- why hadn't the swelling gone down? Charlotte had asked her how she'd gained the swollen eye once, and Alice had muttered something about poking herself in the eye with a pen. Charlotte didn't seem to buy it. Lately, she had noticed something different about her mum, something she'd tried so hard to hide. But the truth was, her façade was slipping, and she had no idea how long she had until she couldn't pretend anymore.

She cried most nights now. Quiet, gentle sobs. She didn't want Terry to realise; that would just show a sign of weakness. But she often wondered how he'd react if he noticed she was crying. If he loved her, wouldn't he realise what he'd done to her? She never used to cry. Never. Not one bit. Wouldn't he realise how bad he'd been? Wouldn't he return to being the Terry she knew and loved? Alice bit down on her lip hard, fighting back wrenching sobs as she sat on the sofa, pulling her sleeves down self-consciously, the dark purple bruise on her wrist showing through her white top.

Alice didn't realise what she was doing until she was in the car, speeding towards Fatani's bar. She didn't remember when she'd made the conscious decision to confront Terry, but there was no backing out of it now that she was on her way. Well, she could simply make a U turn and head back home, waiting for him on the sofa again, until he staggered in and hit her. But she had enough. Sure, she loved him, _so _much, but she shouldn't have to go through this. She had to protect her daughter- she didn't want Charlotte to find out. Charlotte didn't deserve it. Maybe Alice deserved to be hit, whacked, hurt- but if there's one thing Alice Collin's knew, it was that Charlotte didn't.

She found him easily enough. Even when she pulled up outside she could hear his voice, booming off the walls. Alice jumped down from the car, and stormed into the bar, pulling down her sleeves as to not show her bruises. But when she thought of how she'd gained those bruises and she saw Terry sitting at the bar, her confidence drained out of her. But it was too late to turn around, because Terry had seen her in the corner of his eye.

"Alice!" He cried, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Alice swallowed nervously and tugged on her sleeves again. It was sweltering today, and many people had been staring at her as if she was crazy. But she had her reasons as to why she was wearing long sleeves. It wasn't only the bruise on her wrist that she was hiding. It was the yellowing ones, and the scars on her forearms, that glittered her skin like a puzzle, that she had to hide.

"Just… came to see how you were." Alice managed to reply after a while. Fatani, who had looked up confusedly, as far as he was aware Terry didn't really have any friends apart from his co-workers, that didn't really come in much, stared at her. He wondered how she knew Terry. Alice felt nervous as she felt Fatani's gaze on her, and, realising this, he averted his gaze elsewhere. But he still listened out to hear the conversation.

Terry frowned, "Where's Charlotte?"

Alice took a deep breath. _He's not gonna hurt you in public, _she told herself, _you can do this. _Then she forced a smile, that Fatani (who was peeping out of the corner of his eye- but he never really had been the greatest of spy's) noted to be a strained one. Fatani frowned and began discussing with the two men behind him, Danny and Dupe, who also happened to be watching the pair.

"She's sleeping round a friends today." She told him, and walked over to him, pretending to be oblivious to her audience. Self-consciously, she pulled down on the sleeves that guarded her secret.

"Right." Terry said, and flung an arm around her shoulder , Terry called over to Fatani, who looked over at Alice. "Fatani! I don't believe you've met my girlfriend." He then proceeded to kiss her cheek softly. Alice fought the urge to jerk away, her cheek felt as if she'd been burned.

"Hi." He said, "I'm Fatani."

She nodded smally, "Alice." She introduced herself.

Fatani smiled sorrowfully, something about the pair didn't seem right. He just couldn't put his finger on it as to what it was yet. Alice pulled down on her sleeves again, and Fatani pretended not to notice. Alice looked beyond Fatani, and her eyes met the most dazzling shade of green she'd ever met. Alice felt her heart jump to her throat and she quickly looked away, chiding herself. _No, your heart did not just skip a beat Alice, _she told herself, _it's just playing tricks on you. _

Fatani, Danny and Dupe studied the pair for a moment and then went into their detailed discussion about them. Danny felt his pulse slowing down, it had raced so high when her astounding sapphire blue eyes looked into his own. _No, you did not just fall for her, _he told himself. He didn't believe it though. Danny risked one look at Alice again, _she's got a boyfriend anyway- plus, she'd never go for an old man like me. _

"Where's your sunglasses?" Terry leaned in and growled in her ear. Internally, Alice kicked herself. Her eye _still _hadn't gone down. And Terry had told her to wear the sunglasses! How could she forget?

"I- I forgot." She whispered, looking down at her hands.

"You didn't obey me?" He hissed menacingly.

"I forgot. I didn't mean to." Alice said quietly.

Terry glanced around the bar. He was sure that Fatani and his two friends had been watching them, so he grabbed Alice by the upper arm and pulled her off her seat. How dare she disobey him! Anyone could find out that he'd been hitting her! "You're worthless Alice- good for nothing!" He growled in her ear, "Have you not learnt your lesson yet? I don't think you have. Time for another one." He laughed hysterically and dragged her over to the car.

Alice fought back the tears. She knew what was coming.

Danny stared in stunned wonder after them. He'd been watching them slyly, just like Dupe and Fatani. He'd noticed the moment Terry-or-something whispered something in Alice's ear, she'd tensed up. Danny had been sure that he'd seen a bruise on her wrist, but she kept pulling her sleeve down! Of course, she could have got that from anything. Danny was constantly hurting himself, he was clumsy, maybe she was too? But what about that eye? It looked so swollen, and quite infected- how had she done it? Why hadn't she got a doctor to look at it?

And the way that man had handled her! Whatever her reply had been had angered him. And she'd looked like she knew it was a wrong answer! He'd gripped her upper arm so _tightly- _a man shouldn't handle a woman like that! As he'd whispered something in her ear, he'd seen horror flash through her eyes, and he'd _seen _the tears in her eyes as he suddenly dragged her away.

Danny tried to tell himself that he was just worried for this woman he'd sort-of just met. But he knew, he just _knew _that wasn't true. Because once they'd left, Fatani and Dupe seemed to forget about it and the topic of the conversation moved on, but in Danny's mind it stuck. He knew, he just _knew, _in those few seconds that her gorgeous sea-blue eyes had met his… he'd fallen in love with her.

_**Back with Terry and Alice!**_

So he'd hit her. He'd beat her until she was black and blue- mind you, that wasn't hard, she already _was. _

She lay rigid in her bed, choking on her tears. She prayed Terry didn't hear her. Unfortunately, he did.

"Are you crying?" He mumbled.

She knew not to lie, or stay quiet. "Yes." She answered quietly.

Terry smiled slightly into his pillow, and then put on a false face of comfort. He wrapped an arm around Alice's body, noticing that her body was exceedingly tense. He propped himself up with his other arm. He looked down into her teary blue eyes, and pressed his lips to her neck. "Sorry, I just get angry sometimes." He lied.

Alice pressed her lips together to stop herself from screaming as Terry's lips burned her skin. She nodded numbly.

Terry's hand lifted and cupped her cheek, and then he leaned down and kissed her gently. Alice fought back the bile that rose to her throat. But why was she feeling like this? She loved Terry- didn't she?

Terry paused and pulled away, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't you love me?" Terry asked, knowing that was her weak point. He registered the doubt that flickered across her face, and that shocked him. He thought he'd brainwashed her into believing she loved him. Eventually, after a silence that seemed to burn her ears, Alice turned away. Terry gripped her shoulder roughly and turned her to face him. "I asked you a question, Alice." He spat.

Alice swallowed uneasily, "Yes." She mumbled into the silence.

"No you don't."

"I do." She persisted.

Terry pressed his lips to her neck again, and she felt tears prick her eyes. "Then prove it."

"Terry-"

"You don't love me."

"I do Terry!"

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her roughly, she gripped her hands in his hair and pushed him away. "Terry please, I don't-" She started protesting but he didn't listen and gripped both of her wrists, pinning them above her head, and kissing her roughly, one of his hands toying with the buttons on her shirt. "Terry-" She tried to protest when he pulled away for air, but he just didn't listen. His hands managed to open her blouse and a sob escaped her mouth, but he soon covered it with his own. She begged, she pleaded, she begged, she did everything. But he just didn't listen, and carried on.

All the while Alice, who had thought he'd never take it this far, sobbed completely and distraught.

**A/N: I have come to the conclusion that I simply ****enjoy**** hurting Alice- when she's my ****favourite character****? :S I mean like, I made her go through a hell of a lot of heartbreak in 'one last letter goodbye', made Danny think she's cheating on him twice in 'obvious' and 'don't break my heart', made her KILL HERSELF in 'grief', killing her in 'wherever you are I'll be right beside you', making her get abused by her dad in 'my best friend' (and there'll be worse to come!), made her daughter almost die in 'getting through it all' and making her get abused in this fic! XS It's not good! Anyway, you're probably disgusted with me for this chapter- but I still think you should review :P and I promise, somehow, Alice will get a happy ending. And she wont be with Terry much longer! I don't enjoy writing the abusive parts!**


	4. Chapter three: Charlotte

**A/N: Bit of a short update because I'm still not feeling well!**

**Can you fix me? **

'_**So one day he found her crying,  
**__**Coiled up on the dirty ground,  
**__**Her prince finally came to save her,  
**__**And the rest she cant figure out.'**_

_**- Brick by boring brick, Paramore (Paramore = amazing)**_

Alice's skin was red raw. This was a result of the amount of times she'd scrubbed her skin while she was in the shower. She felt dirty, she felt filthy, his presence seemed to linger on her skin. No matter how many times she scrubbed at her body she couldn't get his presence to rid from herself and she exited the shower simply feeling dirtier, as if she'd spread his filthy presence across her body. Alice shuddered at the theory, her spoon falling from her grasp. She didn't even hear the splatter of the milk in her bowl when the spoon landed there. She was too busy hyperventilating.

**Terry was home.**

Charlotte sat innocently in the front room colouring in her book, a tiny indent forming in between her eyebrows, her little pink tongue poking out of her mouth as she concentrated. She jumped when she heard Alice's spoon drop into her bowl. She tried to ignore the hyperventilation her mother was experiencing but it was so hard to ignore. She knew something was wrong with her mother, for a couple days now she'd been worse than usual, and that was saying something. Charlotte knew her mother thought she didn't see- but she did. She heard the sound of her mothers sobs at night, the walls were that thin, did her mum really think she didn't hear? Charlotte saw the bruises her mother tried so hard to hide, especially that one on her eye. She'd asked her about how she'd gained that swollen eye. Charlotte had seen Terry stab her mum- Charlotte bit back the bile that rose to her throat at such point- and her mum had told her some fob story about poking herself in the eye with a pen. Honestly, did her mum think she didn't see? She was ten years old and it happened almost every night. Of course she saw!

Charlotte decided she'd had enough. Her mother didn't deserve this. Terry's boots clunked against the hard wooden floor as he crossed the room to hang his coat up on the banisters, and he saw Charlotte's hands clench around the pencil she was holding. He mused on why. Then he walked towards the sofa, where Alice patiently waited, and kissed her on the cheek, pretending that he hadn't raped her. That he hadn't caused her life to be hell. That he hadn't emotionally and psychically hurt her.

It was the kiss that did it. Charlotte threw the pencil down on the table, then stood up, whirling around to where Terry was standing. "I hate you!" She screamed, and Terry looked taken aback. "Mum has never done _anything _to you but _love _you and you repay her by _hitting _her-"

"Charlotte-" Alice went to interrupt, but Charlotte cast her mother a look of disgust, which shut her up.

"You don't deserve this mum! He's the biggest fool ever!" Charlotte told her mum, and Alice closed her eyes, and then Charlotte turned back round to Terry and continued screaming, "Do you think I don't _see _it? I _saw _you stab her with the pencil! I _saw _you-"

_Time seemed to pause._

_Charlotte's shouts cut off._

The tears slipped from Alice's eyes as she struggled to stay alive. The scars that trace her skin will never go away, and neither will the pain. He always tells her that he loves her. He always tells her that he just gets angry sometimes. While he's beating her she doesn't believe him- if he loved her, why did he beat her? But then he'd apologize and whisper sweet romantic words. She always gives in. She was in love with him, and love is blind.

Alice wonders how long she would be able to put up with all this- until the end of time maybe? She loved Terry, and she can't imagine her life without him. Even if he is the cause for the bruises that glitter her body.

Alice heard the familiar sound of his fist connecting with skin screaming through the room. She wondered why it didn't hurt. There was no ache, no throb, nothing. Alice opened her eyes and it was then that she realised why. She heard a whimper, but she wasn't sure who it came from. Herself? Or someone else?

For the first time, it wasn't her who had received the beating.

"Charlotte!" Alice gasped, falling to her knees beside her beloved daughter, who had landed on the floor on her back, her eyes wide in shock. Alice's head snapped up to see an angered Terry towering above her. Alice knew her daughter didn't deserve this- to be hit, hurt… So she did the first thing she could think of, and that was her motherly instinct.

Alice jumped up and leapt at Terry, and she was surprised at her strength. Why hadn't she been able to fight back before? But she managed to shout at her daughter to go pack them some bags while she wrestled Terry to the ground- the instinct to protect her daughter flooding through her veins, adrenaline pumping from her heart, her heart beating a gazillion miles an hour.

Charlotte appeared with the bags as Terry threw her mum onto the sofa, Alice kicked him hard in the gut and he doubled over in pain.

"Run Charlie, to the car!" Alice told her, and climbed over the sofa, grabbing her daughters arm and dragging her to the car.

_Alice couldn't believe it._

_She was finally free._

**Later :D**

Alice didn't even realise that she was headed to Fatani's, it just seemed an automatic thing. She needed to go somewhere public, where she was safe from Terry, and she needed somewhere with a drink.

Shaken, Charlotte and Alice headed into Fatani's, Alice ordered herself a beer and Charlotte an orange juice. Fatani studied the pair apprehensively- something was different about them. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad, but something had happened.

"I can't believe you mum! You actually…" Charlotte started to praise her mum but her mum gestured for her to be quiet. It's not something you want to talk about in public and everyone to hear after all! So Charlotte stopped and simply grinned, marvelling at her mum.

Alice smiled to herself, and pressed a kiss to Charlotte's forehead, "I did it for you honey." She whispered, "He's never gonna touch you again if I have anything to do with it."

Charlotte smiled up at her mum, her eyes twinkling with happiness. Alice herself felt happy too, and that was the first for a long time. But still, in the back of her mind, she still felt dirty, she could still feel Terry's presence over her. Alice swallowed, and pushed the thought to the back of her mind, and took a swig from her beer.

"Alice?" She heard an unfamiliar voice from behind her.

Alice turned around in her seat and her heart skipped a beat again. It was the same man, the one with them amazing green eyes! "You remembered my name." She breathed happily, before she could stop herself.

**A/N: So uh, Alice has escaped from Terry… for now :D **


	5. Chapter Four: What's different

**Can you fix me? **

_'Baby, baby blue eyes,_  
_stay with me by my side,_  
_'till the morning through the night,_  
_baby stand here holding my sides,_  
_close your baby blue eyes,_  
_Every moment feels right._

_And I may feel like a fool,_  
_but i'm the only one dancing with you.'_

_**Baby blue eyes - A rocket to the moon**_

Danny stood wearily waiting for Fatani to hurry up and grab the drinks that they'd ordered. The guests, and Dupe, had drank them dry of alcohol, and they - 'they' meaning those living at Leopards Den- had sent him out to collect it! He didn't understand why it had to be him of all people, he was busy with the animals, and he didn't see them doing any work! Well actually, Dupe was the only person who wasn't… and nobody trusted Dupe with alcoholic beverages.

So Danny was stuck picking up the drinks from Fatani who seemed to be taking an age, when he would much rather be back at Leopards Den working around animals. He sought comfort in the animals now. Ever since he'd lost Sarah he became more… secluded, you could say. His animals were his only therapy, because he was determined to make the Sarah Trevanion Memorial Hospital a success…for her. It was what she would want.

In the corner of Danny's peripheral vision he was aware that sat with a child was the most gorgeous thing on legs he'd ever seen. He hadn't looked over properly at her though, and so he hadn't recognised her. He'd just seen shimmering, long dark brown hair that looked almost black in the shade of Fatani's bar. He'd simply seen the way her clothes seemed to hug her shape perfectly, accentuating every curve of her body. He'd just seen the most dazzling smile that, for some reason gave him a strange sense of de ja vu.

"I can't believe you mum! You actually…" The young girls voice trailed off, the young girl who sat beside the stunning woman. Surely this woman was too young to have children? Quickly, Danny stole a glimpse over at the pair and his jaw comically dropped, which he fully recovered after a moment, simply concentrating on slowing his pulse.

What was once supposed to be a furtive glance over at the woman turned into a full stare. He just couldn't take his eyes off her. That was _Alice. _That same _beautiful _Alice who that dreadful Terry had been with! That same Alice that he had instantly fallen for! Danny gazed at Alice. Alice smiled and subconsciously pushed her hair over her shoulder, then leaned in to whisper something to her daughter and proceeded to kiss her forehead gently.

"Alice?" Danny asked, not even quite sure how he had managed to sub-consciously walk from the other side of the bar to Alice without realising, all the time just staring at her, awestruck by her incredible beauty.

Alice spun around on her chair to look at him. Danny felt his heart drum a little faster than usual and his breath hitched. He stared, mesmerised by her eyes. They were _such _a deep shade of blue, like sapphires- a dark, shining cobalt blue. Danny felt as if those eyes were staring deep into his soul, as if she could see everything about him. God, was she aware she had this effect on him? Did she have this effect on everybody or was it just him? Surely he couldn't be the only man in the world to fall in love with her. She was… no words can describe it.

"You remembered my name." She all but breathed.

Danny felt himself falling more and more into her eyes, and he couldn't muster any thought to speak coherently. God, he must've looked like the biggest fool. Infact, he did, but Alice couldn't muster any thought either. Those green eyes… she didn't even _like _green eyes! Brown- that was her type. That was why she'd fallen for Terry. He'd had such deep brown eyes! But these green eyes… no… they were something else, they were unreal.

"Danny?"

Danny spun around on the spot, looking a little flustered, snapping out of his daze and telling himself not to blush. That wasn't a man thing to do. Fatani stood looking confused for a moment at the spot Danny had been waiting for him, almost as if he was waiting for him to simply apparate there. Fatani, for once using common sense and realising Danny must have walked off not simply vanished into thin air, searched across his bar with his eyes. Fatani soon saw Danny, stood by that Glaswegian beauty that Terry had been with before. Fatani noted something different in her eyes… He shook himself out of his thought- he was a psychologist! Then he headed towards Danny and… whatsherface.

"Sorry Fatani I…" Danny started his excuse and then realised he didn't have one. Luckily Fatani, who was strangely being smart today, sensed his discomfort and set the drinks down on the bar, smiling at the pair. There was something in their eyes that was similar. But what was similar about blue and green eyes? Nothing, really.

"Hey, you're uh… Terry's girlfriend, right?" Fatani asked, realising that he had forgotten her name. How could he have forgotten her name when he, Danny and Dupe had spent so long having a discussion about her? Danny had seemed most concerned about her, he realized, he wondered if Danny had remembered her name.

"Alice." She told him, smiling smally and her gaze flickering over to Danny for a moment, "And uh… well…" She looked down and started fiddling with her mothers necklace, "I _was _his girlfriend. We broke up, today actually…" She mumbled uncomfortably, not looking up at them.

"Oh." Fatani said stupidly, now falling back into normal Fatani habits.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Danny told her, his voice coated in emotion. Alice looked up at him through her hair- god, that looked amazing, her dark blue eyes on contrast with her shining brown hair- smiling bitterly.

"Don't be. Seriously. Don't." Alice told him, her voice lathered in seriousness.

Danny found himself sliding into the seat beside her, giving her a sympathetic smile. Alice felt her breath catch when he smiled, god that smile was so, _so _amazing. Alice fumbled in her brain for words to make conversation, and then wondered to herself why she wanted to make conversation with this stranger. He could be anybody! For all she knew he could be one of Terry's mates out to get her.

"Got time for a chat?" Danny asked, lifting two beers out of the case Fatani had handed him, along with a water for Charlotte.

Alice studied him. He looked honest. Then again, so had Terry- and look what he'd done. He'd made her fall in love with him and then manipulated that and beat her, called her worthless, _raped _her. Alice felt fury bubble inside of her. She couldn't believe she had put up with it and she couldn't believe that at some points she had believed that she was worthless. No, she was anything but, Alice Collins would never let a man dictate her life again. Somewhere in Alice's sub-conscious she realised that she was staring at Danny, and then she pulled herself out of her little traumatised brain and back to the real world. She took one look at Danny's grin and felt her heart melt. _He's different, _she noted, _He's not like Terry._

"Sure." Alice agreed, taking the drinks from Danny.

She knew why he was different to Terry.

_Because this time- I'm in love._

**A/N: This was supposed to be longer but I started writing a little too late! My bad!**


	6. Chapter Five: Lightweight

**Can you fix me? **

'**_Cause I'd rather waste my life pretending,  
Than have to forget you for one whole minute.'  
- CrushCrushCrush, Paramore_**

Danny wasn't sure at which point he asked Alice where she was staying. Danny wasn't quite sure which point it was that he learned Alice was a vet. Danny wasn't quite sure which point it was that he came up with the brilliant plan that Alice should stay at Leopards Den and be an assistant vet there.

Alice wasn't quite sure which point it was that she told him where she was staying. Alice wasn't quite sure what part it was she told him she was a vet- well she had been until Terry. Alice wasn't quite sure what point it was that she had agreed to stay at Leopards Den.

All they knew was that their speech was slurred, they stumbled a little when they walked, and they couldn't look out of each others eyes.

_**The next morning**_

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

Alice had the biggest headache known the man- well, she was a woman, but you know. Groaning, she rolled onto her back and rubbed her temples with her fingers. Alice drowsily opened her eyes, her vision slurred a little, and blinked twice, then jerked in shock. The room was definitely unfamiliar. Alice stared up at the cracked, plain white ceiling for a while, and the one light that hung above her, and then found the confidence to prop herself up on her elbows to look around the room.

The walls were a light pale green, and looked like they hadn't been painted in years, and by years she meant many, _many _years. Alice found herself sat in a bed with a gold frame, placed directly in the middle of the room, covered in green sheets, the same colour as the walls. There were different pieces of furniture scattered in the room. A white dresser, positioned under the nearest window, and a mirror, which hung on the wall to her right. There were also two white bedside tables, one which was empty, dust collecting, the other with a shiny black phone on it.

Alice didn't have any recollection of this room at all.

Her throbbing headache didn't help at all when she tried to remember what happened last night. Alice closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then peaked beside her. Alice let out a sigh of relief when she saw that nobody laid beside her, and the spot beside her looked unslept in. Because Alice Collins did not do one night stands, not at all.

So where was she?

Alice closed her eyes and forced herself to concentrate. She remembered certain parts. Terry hitting Charlotte, Escaping, A man with Green eyes… Danny? Yeah, Danny, the kind man who had stayed with her and Charlotte and had made friendly conversation with them when he should have actually gone back to his game reserve, Leopards Den- the same one that he had offered her a job at…

Alice's train of thought trailed off as she realised where she was. Oh god, had she really managed to find a place to stay and a job that easily? They had got in really late, about midnight, too, Charlotte had dropped off into a deep slumber, too, and Danny had helped carry her in. Alice remembered him saying something like introducing her to everyone in the morning, but her memory was hazy, she had been a little drunk (Alice kicked herself internally, she was a lightweight, hence the hangover).

Alice's eyes snapped around the room, looking for some form of clock, and not finding one. Then she hit herself round the head lightly when she realised that she was wearing a watch. She glanced down at it, nine am, and bit her lip nervously. 'Everyone', as Danny referred them as, would probably be awake.

Alice suddenly felt a wave of nausea, probably the drink- she hit herself internally again with that, and swore she'd never drink again, stupid lightweight- and then realised she was going to be sick. Without thinking, she jumped up and slammed the door open, searching for a toilet. She found one immediately- it was the room opposite. She hoped she didn't make too much noise as she threw up her stomach contents.

Alice rest her head against the toilet for a moment, the ceramic seat cooled her forehead as she took a few deep breaths. She rubbed her eyes and, just as she was about to stand, she heard a gruff voice from behind her.

"Who the bloody hell are you?"

Alice shrieked out of fright and swivelled around on the spot to see a brusque Afrikaner standing in the doorway, his trademark hat on his head, spying her with confused eyes.

"Hang on- your that girl from Fatani's, the one Danny didn't shut up about, Terry's girlfriend or something." He realised, without giving her a chance to answer, "What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded.

Alice took a steadying breath, feeling oddly off balance, and used the sink for support. Then she said, "You know what? I'm trying to figure that one out myself, I only have a hazy idea, but-"

"Hazy?" Dupe asked, his eyes a little wide, taking it the completely wrong way in his crude mind.

Alice sensed this and swallowed nervously, "No we- we had a couple of drinks at Fatani's-"

Before Alice could finish she could hear a small voice calling her, "Mum?"

Dupe blinked to himself. Okay, what was going on? He turned around and saw a young girl with mousey brown hair and light green eyes standing a little bit away from him, looking at him nervously. Alice, the woman he had no idea why was here, rushed out of the bathroom and over to the young girl. "Charlotte?"

"Mum!" Charlotte said, smiling, "Are you okay? I heard you being sick…"

"No, I'm fine honey, don't worry." Alice reassured her daughter, smoothing down her hair. Then she turned back to the man, and realised she recognised him, he'd been with Danny the first time she'd ever seen him. Just as Alice opened her mouth to ask where Danny was- the only person she actually knew here - the man appeared himself.

"Oh! Hey Alice." He said casually, and Dupe gave him an odd look.

"No offence but why in gods earth is she here?" Dupe asked his giant friend.

Danny stopped when he was walking by Alice and Charlotte, and looked back at Dupe, winking at Alice. Then he grinned, and Alice knew he was there to have fun, she just seemed to _know._

"Oh Alice is our new business partner, she bought out my share of Leopards Den." Danny said, waving a hand in the air dismissively, looking a bit like a poof in the meantime.

"She _What?" _Dupe asked disbelievingly.

Danny and Alice looked at each other and burst out laughing at the exact same time, Dupe watched the pair in amazement and confusion. Alice wiped a lone tear from her eye at the shock on the old mans face and Danny gained enough control over his laughter to speak.

"Okay, maybe I elaborated a bit- She's the new assistant vet." Danny told Dupe, and then turned to Alice, smiling, "I guess now's the time to introduce you to everyone."

**A/N: Gah. Nothing happened. Boredom.**


	7. Chapter Six: Awkward

**Can you fix me? **

'_**But don't you see?**__**  
**__**I'm falling  
**__**But I don't want to love you.'**_

_**- Stop this song(lovesick melody), Paramore**_

Alice felt a little nervous, "Actually Danny, could I speak to you for a moment?" She asked him, stepping forwards a little as he headed towards the kitchen.

Charlotte looked up at her mum in confusion, she's remembered how her mum had acted last night, and Danny. She'd Danny laying her down in a bed and telling her they might be staying here for a while. Charlotte really liked Danny, and she found that a little weird, she didn't trust any one around her mum. Not after the way Terry had treated her and her mum, of course she wouldn't. Charlotte frowned at the few bruises that were exposed on Alice's skin, wishing she could make them fade away from her mothers skin. Her mum was a saint, she'd never done anything wrong, Charlotte still didn't understand why Terry had done it, why he had beat her mum, why he had hurt her so much, and then started on her. Charlotte didn't understand why her mum had put up with it, either. She had easily fought Terry easily enough when he had whacked her around her face. Charlotte pressed a hand lightly to her cheek, luckily a bruise hadn't formed there.

Danny shrugged, "Sure." He agreed, and opened the door to Alice's current bedroom, indicating for her to go in. Alice looked down at her daughter uneasily, where would she go. Danny, as if reading her thoughts, looked over at Dupe, "Dupe, can you take Charlotte to Nomsa? Nomsa'll love her." Danny asked, though it was more an order than a request.

Dupe gave his friend a puzzled look, but chose not to press on the subject, he'd ask Danny later, he'd get it out of him one way or another. He always did. Danny was a terrible liar. And, as much as Dupe felt like a soppy git for admitting it, he was his best friend and they told each other everything, right? So Dupe shrugged and took the little girl with him, in search of Nomsa, he noticed how the little girl- Charlotte, weren't it?- stared back after their mum as they watched away. Maybe it was just her age, didn't like being away from her mum or something, she was in a different place after all… Or maybe it was more than that.

Dupe knew he'd find out the truth to this complex puzzle, he felt like something was missing…. He knew he'd find out because he just seemed to know that Alice and Charlotte would be staying for a long, long time.

Danny closed the door behind Alice. He felt a little awkward, alone in her room and all, not that he should be thinking that way, of course. She'd just broke up with that Terry guy! And she was too young, like ten years younger than him, probably, something like that. He shouldn't be thinking about her in that way at all. Not that he should be thinking about her so much at all, really. He shouldn't have fallen in love with her in the first place.

"Danny," Alice started quietly. Shouldn't she feel scared to be alone in the same room as him? After everything Terry had done to her? Reminded of Terry, Alice began scratching absentmindedly at her skin, Danny frowned at this, "I uh…" She cleared her throat, "I'm your new assistant vet then?"

Danny nodded slowly, "Don't you remember? Yesterday?"

Alice nodded slowly, still scratching at her skin, her head still throbbing, "Well, yeah, but like…" She blushed, "I'm a bit of a lightweight, so-"

"Ah." Danny said, "I get it…. Uh… you don't have to stay-"

"No, I do, I just…" Alice nearly started daydreaming, lost in the rich colour of his light green eyes, his eyes felt like they were burning through her, seeing every secret she ever hid. Alice blinked twice and forced herself to concentrate, looking away from Danny's eyes so that she could actually concentrate, "Wanted to check and… stuff."

Danny nodded awkwardly. They both stood in silence for a while. Neither were quite sure what to say. What were they supposed to say, really? Two strangers, though it didn't feel like they were strangers to each other, were stuck in a room with each other, their conversation finished. Alice didn't want to say anything, in fact she enjoyed simply being with Danny- though that did sort of scare her. Why should she trust anyone anymore? Especially a man. After everything Terry had put her through. She shouldn't ever trust anyone anymore. The only person she could trust in her life was Charlotte, but that was because she was her daughter, an innocent ten year old. Well, you'd say innocent, but after the things she'd witnessed in _that _house, she wasn't quite the innocent ten year old.

Danny was simply being awkward. He had no idea what to say. He had no idea how he was going to introduce Alice to everyone, either. With Dupe it had been easy, Dupe never did anything seriously, so he'd accept Alice easily enough. But the others? Evan, Olivia, Caroline, Nomsa? How would they react if he simply waltzed into the room with Alice, the dark-haired beauty, by his side, and randomly announced, _'This is Alice Collins, my assistant vet. You know we've been looking for one. Well, as I was collecting the drinks yesterday- didn't any one of you wonder where I was? Well I was with Alice and her daughter and I offered her a job.' _He gathered they wouldn't take it that well if they found out that he'd got their new assistant vet, a stranger to them, from a bar. But Alice wasn't like that, No, no way. Alice Collins was different.

Danny cleared his throat, "You know, I've no idea how everyone else is going to react- or how I'm going to introduce you."

Alice swallowed, "Well… That erm, guy with the hat-"

"Dupe."

"Yeah, Dupe." Alice said, "He uh… No offence but uh… they're not all like _him _are they?" She asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.

Danny chortled loudly, "No, they're definitely not. There's Nomsa, the housekeeper here, who's as sweet as anything. Then there's Caroline, my uh… My late wife's mum, married to Dupe. Posh as hell, you know, they're the most mismatched couple you'll ever find in your life. Then there's Evan and Olivia, my two stepchildren, Evan loves nature and Olivia uh… Well, she used to be until her mum died and she had to grow up…" Danny trailed off.

Alice swallowed, "I'm sorry- about your wife."

Danny shook his head, "No, it's fine, it was about two years ago… I'm… I'm moving on, I'm living- not simply existing like I had been when she first died." _All because of you Alice, _he added silently in his head.

Alice smiled smally, "Well then, I guess you should introduce me to everyone then."

**A/N: Sorry for short/rubbish/nothing-happened update- but I've had the crappiest day today. Yet I felt I owed you an update.  
****My current mood is like depressed- though not as bad as when I actually was depressed. But today I found out my most recent exboyfriend who I still really like (Even though it's been like a year since he broke up with me- I don't know why the hell I'm still holding on to him, not that I haven't tired to let go) has started going out with a good friend of mine.  
****It hurts, a lot.**

**I don't know why I'm telling you this. Meh. Leave a review. **


	8. Chapter Seven: Introductions

**Can you fix me? **

'_**There's no place else you'd rather be.'**_

_**- Fences ,Paramore**_

Danny smiled at Alice, who grinned that amazing smile right back at him, causing her twinkly cobalt blue eyes to glimmer with happiness. Danny forced himself to look away, gripping the door handle and pulling the door open, trying not to become breathless in her presence. But as she brushed past him in such a confined space his breath hitched and he couldn't help but become intoxicated by her very presence.

Alice strode confidently ahead of Danny, trying not to show the fact that she was as nervous as hell. Alice felt the little beads of sweat gather on her forehead, but she quickly whipped them away, looking over at her shoulder and smiling at Danny as a cover up. Danny quickly looked down at his feet, damn that smile was so cute! Alice frowned and wondered why he'd looked down. Feeling a little rejected, she walked on.

Everyone else of Leopards Den sat outside on the Veranda, trying to avoid staring at young Charlotte. Dupe hadn't given them any explanation at all, apart from a simple 'You'll find out soon.' Which was so typical of Dupe. Caroline was still trying to pester it out of him when Danny walked out onto the Veranda, followed by a long haired, blue-eyed young woman.

"Danny?" Caroline asked confusedly, before he even had a chance to speak. Everyone else looked up, confused, too.

Alice fidgeted on the spot, obviously nervous. Danny wanted to reach out and capture her own miniature hands in his own enormous ones and give them a reassuring squeeze. But Danny knew that would probably be too much, she seemed like a guarded person, and they had really only known each other for about a day.

"Right," Danny clapped his hands together, nervous himself, but faking a brave attitude, "Everyone, this is Alice Collins." He glanced at her, and noticed she was looking at him. They both quickly looked away from each other sheepishly, which wasn't missed by their audience. Danny nodded at Charlotte, "I'm sure you've all been introduced to her daughter, Charlotte."

There were a murmur of agreements in the crowd, but everyone mostly had their eyes on Alice. Who was this woman? Had she spent the night with Danny? Why was he introducing her to them? What was she doing here? They were all ready to burst with questions, but held back, hoping Danny would explain before they all exploded in unison.

"Ask no questions okay, cause I wont answer them. All you need to know is that Alice and Charlotte will be living here because Alice is my new assistant vet." Danny told them all.

Caroline reacted in a very posh manner, raising one eyebrow at Danny in confusion. Dupe eyed Alice suspiciously, as if expecting her to suddenly announce that she was in fact a terrorist bomber and was going to kill them all with a bomb made of coffee. Evan and Nomsa simply smiled, finding nothing wrong with the woman, and noticing the chemistry in the air between both Danny and Alice. Liv hated her immediately, she didn't like any woman being with Danny like that, they looked over friendly, how had he met her? He'd gone missing once they'd told him to go fetch the drinks. Is that where he'd met her, at a bar? Nice.

"So you met her at Fatani's? Nice." Liv spat, not afraid to voice her opinions.

Alice looked to Danny for reassurance. Danny's green-eyed gaze flickered to her own blue and she felt a surge of comfort wash over her. Danny made her feel safe. But she wasn't safe. She was in danger. She knew Terry would hunt her down and drag her away one day, and start beating her again. It was only a matter of time. But for now? She was happy. Here. With Danny.

"That makes it sound worse than it is." Danny told her, "But actually, I'd met Alice a while before that, it was only yesterday that I actually started properly talking to her, so you can cut the attitude Liv."

Liv rolled her eyes and decided to bite back another comment, after all she'd probably only land herself in trouble and she didn't really have anywhere to argue from. Danny smiled to himself, pleased with the fact that she had listened to him. As she'd grown into a teenager, her attitude had began to suck, if he was completely honest with you. Not that he'd ever love her any less, she was his stepdaughter, he loved her as much as he loved Rosie.

"There we go." Danny said, smiling, "Now, I'm off to get ready, and then to work. See ya." Danny exited the veranda, leaving Alice is a very awkward position.

"Um…" She bit her lip, "Hi."

"Mum?" Charlotte asked, who sat beside Nomsa.

Alice felt awkward, with everyone's eyes on her, yet she replied steadily, "Yeah honey?"

"Did Danny mean it? That we're staying? We're not going back to… _him_, are we?" Charlotte asked, not daring to speak his name.

Everyone saw Alice's eyelids flicker when Charlotte mentioned _him, _and something flashed in her eyes. Actually, a lot of things flashed through her eyes, rage, anger- but the one everyone picked up on most was fright. That was because Alice was remembering, one of her hands absentmindedly tracing over her forearm, which held half a dozen healing bruises. Nobody commented on her weird reaction, or on the bruises, they thought best not to. Alice was remembering his filthy stench all over her, the sobs that emitted from her body…

"Yes." She whispered, and then blinked and cleared her throat, speaking louder now, "Yeah, Danny meant it, we're staying, and no, we're not Charlie. No way." She told her daughter.

But Alice wasn't stupid. She knew he would find her eventually, it was only a matter of time…

**A/N: That failed. Sorry. I have writers block! **


	9. Chapter Eight: Nightmares

**Can you fix me? **

'_**With every move I die.'  
**__**- Dancing with tears in my eyes, Ke$ha(AMAZING SONG:P)**_

Alice found working with Danny extremely easy. It should have worried her, that fact, but some reason it didn't. She wasn't supposed to trust men. She didn't trust that Dupe, though she knew he meant no harm, or Fatani, but she knew she was just being paranoid. But she had a right be wary didn't she? After all that Terry at put her through!

They all sat out on the Veranda and some reason the conversation came easy. How could that be possible? Alice had only been with Danny for most of the day, so it wasn't even like she could say she had known them for hours, because she had been introduced to them and then eventually got dressed, worked with Danny and then had ended up eating with everyone. Joking around, the conversation flowing easily, they had all appeared to have accept her. Even Dupe, who had once before stared at her like she was a terrorist. There was a still a slight iciness to Liv's stare, but Alice found it easy to ignore, and Liv had eventually given up with the frostiness.

Alice watched Danny as she ate and he spoke, of course that sounded very weird, but he was the only one talking so everyone else was looking at him. So she had an excuse. Wait- Excuse? What was she on about? She didn't need to have an excuse, she was simply listening to him while he spoke, right? Alice suppressed a sigh. She knew she was losing this internal battle. She had admitted it to herself that she was in love the first/second time(she wasn't sure which one you'd count it as) she had seen Danny. But now she was scared, after spending the day with Danny, she had begun to see how dangerous falling in love was. What if he turned out to be like Terry? But how could he… Simply her looking at him contradicted herself… The subtle twist of his nose, the glow in his gentle green eyes, that charming half-smile when he spoke…

Dupe knew that this woman was falling for Danny. Or had already fallen for him. There was a sparkle in her eyes that didn't appear unless she had her eyes on Danny, and a smile hinted at the corners of her lips too. He was worried though. There was some kind of thing she had against men, it was obvious. He noticed how she always exited a room when she was alone with just a man- except Danny. Though he had only 'known' her for a few hours, he could tell something had happened to her… And, it really scared him to think of the possibilities, it made him feel sick to his core… he knew it was really, really bad.

Danny looked over at Alice as he spoke, and her sapphire blue orbs just seemed to be the only thing he could see, and the rest of the world disappeared.

**0_o **

Alice shivered as she drew the cover up over her head. "No." She whispered to herself, sounding terrified.

Alice thrashed violently and the duvet followed her limbs as they whipped about in the bed. It twisted up around her body, constricting her, only making her nightmares worse as it brought back the memory of him, all over her, forcing her to stay on the spot, physically, mentally, and emotionally breaking her. She remembered the creepy laugh and the sadistic smile, the pure disgusting _pleasure _he gained out of it! Unconsciously, a loud cry of, "No!" escaped her lips.

She couldn't escape her nightmares. She couldn't wake up. Alice thrashed and twisted more and more, each movement more sharper than the last, her not-so-healing bruises getting hit, and her body earning more bashing from the bed frame. Even though usually it was only _him_ that had hit her. Reliving that memory, reliving everything, it brought her to an emotional edge, one she had tried so hard to stay away from.

"STOP! PLEASE!" She sobbed, though she was the only one in her room, nobody else was around except for a curious man lurking in the hallway, and it was simply her tossing and turning and sobbing in her bed.

Alice screamed. It was a scream of agony. Everyone was jolted awake, eyes wide, sitting up straight away. The figure in the hallway stumbled back a few steps. There was no describing the scream- it was every single emotion Alice had ever kept bottled up, all tumbling out at once. It lasted for at least a minute, until she was gasping for breath and returned to sobbing. Alice was completely unaware, in a fitful sleep, that she had woke the rest of leopards Den.

"_Please…" _She whispered, her body shaking fiercely, _"Stop… It hurts…" _Soft, small tears fell from her closed eyelids, (Yes, that was possible), rolling down her cheeks slowly.

Her door opened.

Alice was still for a moment, and then suddenly she was shouting, "NO! NO! PLEASE! YOU ALREADY DID IT ONCE… DON'T DO IT AGAIN!" She screamed. The figure hurried to her side, closing the door behind them, as if that would reduce the level of noise she was creating.

Danny sat on the edge of Alice's bed, she was entangled in her cover, it was hard to tell in this darkness where she was and where the cover was. But Danny could see her beautiful place, contorted in immense pain, tears spilling from her eyes like a leaky tap. Her mouth opened to scream again but he placed a hand on her, stroking her soft silk-like hair. "It's okay Alice, you're dreaming." He whispered, hating seeing her in this pain.

This jerked Alice out of her dream. She jolted upright, and in her entangled mess, this resulted in her falling from the bed and onto the hard wooden floor. Alice's breaths were shallow, her heartbeat racing as she scrambled to her feet, seeing a figure sitting on her bed, and that made her scared witless.

"Alice?" The figure whispered, and although Alice recognised it as Danny, she didn't relax. Her eyes darting from him to the closed door. "Alice? It's me, Danny. You were… You were sc-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as she whispered quietly, "Open the door Danny."

"Pardon?" He repeated, not hearing her.

"Open the door." She said a little louder.

"Why?" He asked, frowning.

"OPEN THE DOOR DANNY!" She cried, petrified, and she started to shake strongly again.

Danny's mouth hung open for a moment at her, she had seemed such a strong person! Quickly, Danny obliged, and saw Dupe, Evan, Liv and Caroline walking towards them. Danny was grateful Charlotte hadn't woke. She didn't need to see her mother like this.

"Danny? What's going on?" Caroline questioned him with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know… I… She was screaming I went in to… But she…" Danny was completely and utterly confused, and suddenly Alice was timidly walking past him, her breath hitched as she brushed past his form. "Alice?" He asked confusedly.

"I…" She looked at everyone, her eyes wide, and absentmindedly, reminded of him, her hands began to scratch at her arms. Alice stopped herself from shivering violently as she remembered everything she wanted to forget, and suddenly she felt sick to her stomach. He was on her. His prescence was all over her. "I'm going to have a shower…"

"You're- What?" Danny asked, frowning, "Alice you-"

"But I-"

"Alice, it's like three in the morning," Danny informed her, scratching the back of his head tiredly, "You should be sleeping- doesn't seem like you got much."

"No Danny, you don't… I need to…"

"Surely it can wait 'till the morning?" Evan asked, rubbing his eyes as much as he had told himself not to.

"No…" Alice whispered, her eyes darting at all of them.

"Alice-" Caroline started to compromise, confused by the young woman's behaviour.

"You don't understand! I'm _dirty, _I need to be cleaned! But he wont go away! It wont go!" Alice told them all, tears threatening her eyes again, "He's still there! I'm filthy, I'm never going to be clean! But I need to be clean!" Alice cried hurriedly, horrified that she was acting like this, and then darted towards the bathroom.

Evan and Liv frowned, then wandered off. Caroline and Danny the same, Danny retiring to his bedroom but unable to sleep. Dupe stood in the hallway for some time. Of course, the rest couldn't hear her anymore, they were all expecting her to have some weird shower for a unknown reason at this time in the morning but… Dupe heard it. He heard her sobbing and he heard her retching as she threw up.

Dupe swallowed.

He knew.

He'd seen it before.

Just once.

But he could tell.

Alice Collins had been raped.

**A/N: Hmm… I'm single again. Me and Gazzi (aka 'Free Hug Boy') broke up… 3 days- shortest time I've ever gone out with someone… but I agree with him, we're just really good friends who just got confused :/ ah well. **

**Why am I telling you this?**

**Sorry for Lack of update recently. (Hope this makes up for it?) I'm not getting along with my mum. Plus, when she turned the internet off, I simply started writing 'Sarah Trevanion Guardian Angel'. (I started this chapter about a month ago, I swear.) and I have 4000 words, and half an hour to go :l Save me!**


	10. Chapter Nine: So close

**Can you fix me? **

'_**But what if I need you baby?  
Would you even try to save me?  
Or would you find some lame excuse, to never be true?  
What if I said I loved you?  
Would you be the one to run to?  
Or would you watch me walk away, without a fight?'**_

_**- What if, Ashley Tisdale.**_

He watched her, Dupe that is, he watched her. Whenever she was around. She always felt his stares on her. And to be honest it made her feel a little more than uncomfortable. She didn't trust men. Except Danny. The old mans stare did frighten her, and chill her to the bone, though she told herself multiple times that she was just being paranoid. But she had right to.

Nobody mentioned the incident. Well, was it called an incident? Alice had been screaming to the high heavens at night and then exclaimed that she was filthy and 'he' wouldn't go away. What were they supposed to say? Danny wanted to confront her about it. Yes, he wanted to very much. There was something about Alice that intrigued him, something about her that was so mysterious. There was of course this big secret, there was something wrong… Really wrong…

Dupe watched from the veranda as her and Danny headed out from the animal hospital, back towards Leopards Den for dinner. Just the way she moved said it all, really, she was more hunched over herself that other women, but not as much when she was Danny. Okay, that could me due to that fact she loved him, but it just showed that she didn't trust men.

Dupe sighed and took a sip of his beer, remembering…

"Dupe?" Danny's voice broke through Dupe's thoughts, and the old Afrikaner turned to his young friend, who stood with Alice.

"What you want Trevanion?" Dupe asked gruffly.

Alice seemed to be a couple steps behind Danny, in his shadow, hidden away. Dupe didn't miss that. But Danny did. He was too naïve to put two and two together. Dupe liked that. He didn't want Danny to know what Alice had been through. If she was going to tell anybody then he would know, but not know, not behind her back. Dupe didn't enjoy knowing. It made him feel sick to his stomach, knowing what this woman had been through. He studied her almost healed eye, the faint bruises on her neck, and the others that seemed to crop up every now and then. Was it more than rape? Was it someone she had been with? Was it that Terry guy? Realisation dawned on Dupe- She'd been hit, too. Nobody could have that many bruises through clumsiness.

Totally ignorant to Dupe's thoughts, but Alice was staring at him suspiciously and cautiously as his eyes had been on her for the most part, Danny asked, "I thought we were sposed to be having dinner?"

"Yeah we are, patience man." Dupe told Danny.

Danny shrugged and headed towards the kitchen, and Alice started following him, his shadow. That made Dupe smirk. Suddenly Dupe stood up and called, "Alice?"

Alice stopped abruptly, and Danny stopped with her, it was like they were super glued together, 24 hours a day. Actually wait, they didn't spend nights together, they weren't actually together. _Yet. _Dupe knew that Danny was in love with Alice, and Alice was in love with Danny. After all, he was the only man that she trusted.

"Can I talk to you, alone, for a minute?"

Alice swallowed nervously, Danny didn't sense this and smiled and headed towards the kitchen. Alice followed him with her eyes, willing him to come back, she really didn't want to be left alone with Dupe. There was something about him. Why did he watch her so much? It was seriously creepy. Sometimes, his eyes were full of pity for her, she didn't like that, being watched in that way. It was as if he _knew. _But surely he would be disgusted? If she had just been a good girlfriend to Terry, there would have been no need for the violence, there would have been no need to be… raped. It was all her fault. It had to be. Of course other people got raped, abused, whatever else, but it wasn't all their faults, but Alice knew it was hers. She was supposed to love Terry. _But instead you're in love with Danny. _She was supposed to do anything for him, because she loved him. _But instead you'd do that for Danny. _She was supposed to… She just…

"Alice did he…" Alice frowned when Dupe trailed off, fighting back a shake as she began to grow evermore afraid. Dupe's eyes widened, "Alice you don't need to be afraid of me!" He pleaded with her, "I'm not… I wouldn't… I just…" Dupe struggled for the words as Alice watched him, petrified and speechless. Dupe sighed, "Go back to Trevanion. I know you trust him." Dupe said quietly.

As if on cue, Danny waltzed out onto the veranda at that moment, accompanied by Nomsa, both carrying plates of delicious food that Nomsa had made earlier. Alice smiled at Danny when he walked out onto the veranda, looking as gorgeous as ever, and he grinned that charming grin at her in return. _Yeah, I do, _She thought silently, a reply to Dupe. She turned to Dupe and looked him directly in the eye, hoping he would get what she meant.

And he did.

**A/N: Sorry it's short- I blame writing my Ashes to Ashes fic, watching Galex fan videos, taking my dog for a walk, trying to figure out how to rip a DVD onto a laptop(still haven't figured that one out), and reading Ashes to Ashes fics. :') **


	11. Chapter Ten: Cupe

**Can you fix me? **

'_**So now I'm told that this is life,  
And pain is just a simple compromise.' **_

- Misguided Ghosts, Paramore

Dupe was trying to find a moment where he could get Alice alone. Okay, that sounded worse than it should, if you had a dirty mind that would sound really rude. But what Dupe really wanted was to actually get the truth out of her. He didn't want to push it but, well, the rest of Leopards Den may have got used to her screams at night, ear-splitting ones, but he couldn't, he wouldn't, ever. Not when he knew why she was screaming. Well, they all assumed it was bad dreams, didn't they? Well it was. But technically, she must be having flashbacks, wasn't she?

Dupe tried to scrunch his eyes shut but it didn't block out the noise of her screaming. Instinctively, Dupe reached out for his wife, Caroline. Half asleep, but awoken from Alice's screaming, she twisted around in his grip to look at him. Dupe suppressed a smile. Even when she had just woke up, eyes half-shut, with bed hair, he thought she was beautiful.

"Anders?" She mumbled sleepily, snuggling into his chest.

"Caroline I…" He let his sentence trail off for a moment before adding, "Never mind."

Caroline became more awake as she looked up at her husband and noticed pain etched into his face. She frowned and propped herself up on her elbows, one hand resting on his chest, "What's wrong, Anders?"

Dupe looked down at his wife, and sighed. He had been keeping it to himself all these weeks that Alice had lived here, not telling a soul. He had been watching Alice, noticing how she would absentmindedly scratch at her arms or shrink in on herself whenever another man besides Danny was around. And he had been watching Charlotte, her daughter, looking for any signs that she'd been hit or…Dupe didn't want to think of the other one, she was just a kid!

Dupe had figured out more now. No way could someone gain that many bruises through clumsiness. She'd been knocked about by that man! Dupe couldn't remember his name, he remembered seeing him, but not paying much attention. But Danny had! Dupe made a mental note to ask his friend for the name of Alice's ex. And then he'd confront her about it. There was no more avoiding it.

"Caroline," Dupe sat up and Caroline followed his lead. He took her hands, looking directly into her eyes, "It's Alice, I'm really worried about her."

"So am I!" Caroline admitted, gnawing on her bottom lip. She was extremely worried for the young woman. What normal person always screamed out like that in the middle of the night?

"It's just…" Dupe shook his head, "I've seen it all before Caroline!"

Caroline raised her eyebrows, "Seen what before Anders?"

"A woman who's been raped." Dupe said quietly.

Caroline paled. She almost looked as if she was going to faint. She quickly clutched her head with her hands, "What are you on about Anders? Alice wouldn't have… She's too… It couldn't…"

"She has." Dupe insisted, desperate for her to believe him.

"But, how would you know Anders? I hardly believe she's told you-"

"I know the signs." Dupe interjected, "Because…" Dupe looked away, and for once he looked vulnerable. Anders DuPlessis, Vulnerable. That was a sight Caroline thought she would never see. She had seen her husband happy, sad, nervous, jealous, and angry. She had seen him cry and she had seen him lose his temper. But never once in her life had she ever seem him look so vulnerable! "Because it happened to Elizabeth." His late wife.

A hand flew to Caroline's mouth. Not only was he saying it had happened to Alice, but his late wife, too!

"It was my fault." Dupe murmured, "If I hadn't got angry at her and walked off it never would have happened! I have heard of it happening back in England eh, but never in Africa did I imagine it." Dupe shook his head, "She went missing for a few days and I was out of my mind- When they found her she was in the bush, I don't know why none of the animals hadn't eaten her. She recalled everything that happened and… It was a tough time for us. I just… I can't believe…"

Dupe stopped and looked away again, a small tear trickling down his cheek. Caroline reached out for his hands, and he turned to look back at her. She kissed the tear on his cheek, "It's okay Anders, take your time- but it wasn't your fault, it could never be your fault." She assured him.

He smiled, "I do love you woman."

"As I love you." She replied, and he squeezed her hands.

Then Dupe sighed, "They never caught who did it to Elizabeth. And I swore to her that I would find out." Dupe said quietly, "But I never did. But with Alice, I know, it was her ex. Don't know his name. But I know it happened. Alice does all the same things as Elizabeth did. Haven't you noticed? There's the screaming all the time. Bad dreams- But really, she must be having flashbacks. I mean, don't you remember? When she said something about being filthy- She feels dirty for what he did to her, she feels she cant get rid of him. And the constant scratching of the arms, she's absentmindedly hurting herself! But most importantly, haven't you noticed that she always cringes away and tries to exit from a room when Danny's not in it? Especially with men- She doesn't trust anyone."

"I don't understand Dupe, what has her trusting Danny got to do with anything?"

Dupe looked directly into her eyes and gave her hands another squeeze, "Caroline, I know this is hard for you, what with Sarah but…" A flicker of pain crossed Caroline's face as he mentioned Sarah, "Alice is in love with Danny, Caroline! She trusts him- and the way she looks at him… And… And the way Danny looks at _her…_ They love each other Caroline, and Danny is the only person who she trusts… And I'm the only person who knows about her being raped and about… about her being domestically abused."

Caroline didn't comment on Danny and Alice being 'in love'. She had noticed it. Danny would go all gooey-eyed on Alice and Caroline was sure Alice could get Danny to do anything she wanted. But the young woman never took advantage of this. And Caroline noticed how much time they spent locked away in that animal hospital, alone. Okay, they weren't technically alone, they were tending to animals, but still…

"Domestically abused?" Caroline asked quietly. Unable to believe that this young woman who came off strong could have been through so much in the few years she had lived. Compared to Caroline's age!

"Nobody gets that many bruises through clumsiness. Not even Danny." Dupe stated quietly.

"Anders, you have to talk to her! Get her to open up! Tell her that we're all here for her!" Caroline told her husband, "Or maybe you can get Danny to do it-"

"No." Dupe said firmly, and then lay back down, Caroline continued to sit up, watching him, "I've decided to do it tomorrow."

Caroline lay beside him, and one of his arms snaked around her tiny frame, holding her to him, "What if she doesn't admit to it?"

"Well, then I'll get Danny to do it."

"And what if-"

"Oh stop nattering on and get some sleep will you, woman? You're giving me a headache."

Caroline smiled fondly at her husband, "You really believe that she'll tell you, just like that." Caroline clicked her fingers as she spoke. Dupe nodded in reply. Caroline smirked, "Well who's ego is getting too big for their boots now?"

Dupe grinned, "I'll have you know that size 9's are very hard to fill!"

"Of course they are!" Caroline retorted.

Dupe shook his head, smiling, "Whatever woman. C'mon. You've given me a headache now and we shouldn't be awake. It's two o'clock in the bloody morning!"

Caroline laughed, and snuggled into her husbands side, one hand resting on his chest, "Goodnight Anders."

"Night Caroline."

Caroline drifted to sleep almost instantly. Dupe envied her, the way she could just fall asleep like that. But Dupe loved watching her sleeping frame. Her face was so peaceful when she slept. Beautiful. Not that she wasn't beautiful anyway. Dupe smiled to himself, wondering how on earth he deserved such a woman, what on earth had made her go for him? But Dupe didn't care. She was here now. In his arms. She had chosen him, and he wasn't going to question that.

As Dupe drifted off to sleep he was jolted awake again as he heard the blood curling scream of Alice spill to his room, reminding him exactly why he hadn't been able to sleep in the first place.

**A/N: Sorry Dupe's speech is really OOC, but I couldn't get his accent/speech right whilst him going all emotional. Felt like some Cupe for once, since I always seem to be doing Danice . There's hardly any description but… whatever, it's half eleven, I'm tired, and feel ill. :') **


	12. Chapter Eleven: Hyperventilation

**Can you fix me? **

'_**But I have learned that I can't earn any love you've given,  
**__**So I'm finding hope and letting go of all that I have made.  
Because the pain inside of me is holding me lifeless,  
**__**So I am waiting patiently for you' **_

- Change my name, Trading Yesterday

Alice awoke and found she had a sore throat, red raw, as usual. Alice felt tears prick her eyes for some strange reason, she didn't know why, shouldn't she be all cried out? Tears came every night, and almost every time she was left alone with a man that wasn't Danny. It wasn't as if she was even thinking of… him… and yet tears steadily came. Almost automatically, her hands raised to her arms, scratching away. She didn't know why she did it. She just did.

Her jagged fingernails, of which she bit when she was nervous, started to become more violent on her skin. Her face contorted with anger. Who was Terry to do this to her? She was a wreck. When was the last time she had actually paid attention to anything besides her own self-wallowing? She hadn't even spoke to Charlotte about how she felt. Her own daughter! Charlotte had been hit, and she had seen it all, surely she must be a little distressed by this? Alice was furious. She couldn't believe she had been so selfish. Her daughter came first. Not her own self-wallowing about being abused and raped mattered. Her daughter would _always_ come first.

Her nails began to dig in harder to her skin, and eventually they penetrated her skin, drawing blood from these tiny, sharp cuts. Alice gasped and sat still for a moment. Her blood oozed down her arms slowly, dripping from her elbow and landing on her duvet. Alice stared dumbly at the blood for a moment, aghast that she had done that to herself and for once not Terry, and then she scrambled to her feet and wiped the cuts, they stopped bleeding while she started getting changed.

Caroline shot Dupe a look as Alice stumbled into the kitchen. The first thing Alice did was search for her little girl but Charlotte wasn't in the kitchen. Alice contemplated on going to look for her, and then sighed and decided that Charlotte was probably still sleeping. It was only 8 in the morning. Realising that, she noticed Dupe at the table, if Danny had been in the kitchen too, he would have made some comment on this. Alice smiled to herself, thinking of Danny. But that smile was soon wiped off her face as she felt Dupe's penetrating gaze on her and she moved away to make a coffee.

Caroline gave her husband another meaningful look before kissing him lightly on the cheek and exiting the kitchen, leaving Dupe and Alice alone as Nomsa had gone to visit her daughter for the weekend. As Caroline passed Alice she said, "Morning Alice dear."

"Morning." Alice mumbled, finishing making her coffee, and feeling her blood run cold as she realised Caroline had left her alone with Dupe.

She knew she shouldn't be afraid of Dupe. Dupe was a nice guy. Right? But she was still scared. The walls of the room seemed to close in on her and she felt herself hyperventilating suddenly.

Dupe stared at her in shock as Alice dropped her mug and it smashed to pieces on the floor, the burning hot coffee leaping from the mug as it came in contact with the ground, narrowly missing her exposed legs, as she wore ¾ khaki's. Alice didn't even notice that. She was too frightened. Of Dupe. And she knew she was wrong to be frightened, but she couldn't shake off the nasty feeling that Dupe knew something. Her vision started to become blurred with salty tears.

"Alice." Dupe said softly, and hurried to her side. Without thinking, Dupe grabbed one of her arms and she let out a frightened shriek. Immediately he let go of her, instantly regretting the action. _You idiot, _He told himself, _She's been raped for god's sake and you go a bloody touch her. _"Alice, I aint gonna hurt you."

"No." Alice gasped, shaking her head, "Please, don't!"

Dupe glanced around. Where on earth had Caroline disappeared to? Or Danny? It seemed to only be them and Dupe had lost his nerve. He needed someone that Alice would listen to. Either Caroline or Danny. Danny because, well, she must be in love with him. What on earth she saw in Danny Trevanion he'd never understand, of course the man was great, Dupe could see no bad in him, after all he was his best friend, but he was hardly eye candy was he? But Alice had fallen for him. She'd listen to him. She'd answer his questions. Or Caroline's. Caroline was a woman, they were good at talking weren't they? He wasn't a woman- last time he checked- so he didn't have the foggiest.

"Alice," Dupe said calmly, "You need to sit down. Just for a minute woman."

Alice, staring at him with wide, frightened eyes, sat down in the nearest chair, and Dupe sat next to her. Alice sat rigid. Afraid. God, what was Dupe going to do to her? Was he going to hurt her? Or…Alice didn't even want to think the second option. She'd felt his stares on her way to often and they left her so uncomfortable it was unreal. But he had seemed like a decent man so he wouldn't, would he?

"I know, Alice, I know that you've been… That your ex… That you…" Dupe struggled to string words together that stated the facts and sounded sympathetic.

Alice continued to stare at him. What about her ex? About Terry? That name caused a shudder to ripple through her body, and once again she felt dirty, unclean. How could she have ever fallen for him? Of all people!

"Look I'm just going to say this woman, and I'm only going to say it once." Dupe said, "My wife was raped." He saw the confusion flicker across her face, "And- And the reason I'm telling you this is because, well, I know the signs, of when a woman has been raped and… uh… I know… Alice you… Did he rape you, Alice?"

Alice's eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke. She opened her mouth to speak but it felt like sawdust. She just stared at him, mouth hanging open for some time, probably looking like a mindless goldfish.

And then finally, she closed her mouth and her eyes, and gave a small, silent nod.

**A/N: I blame the amazing writers on the Ashes To Ashes side o' Fanfiction(You guys are too though, I just realised how that sounded), and making an A2A video(Failed bahaa) That I forgot about my WAH fics, I dunno, they just flew from my brain and didn't return 'till about ten. And then I was like :O I got an award at school yesterday, English commitment, yet I don't seem very commited to this atm do I? *hangs head in shame***


	13. Chapter Twelve: My Mum

**Can you fix me? **

'_**I wake up and bandage these scars,  
The scars on my heart,  
That prove that I'm still alive,  
**__**Yeah, I'm still alive.' **_

- Lifetime, Kris Allen

Alice's heart was beating furiously in her chest in fright. She didn't think that she would have to open up to anybody about it, let alone Dupe. If she was going to open up to anyone she would've opened up about everything to Danny. Not that she actually wanted to tell Danny out of choice. But if she had to tell anyone, she would have told Danny. She trusted Danny. She trusted him with her life. But how would he react? To all of it?

Dupe didn't reply and Alice felt her heart hammer even more violently in her chest, her pulse pounding in her ears. Was he disgusted? That she was too weak to have put up a fight? That she had not been able to stop someone do that to her? That she was dirty? Unclean? Impure? Alice felt her hands absentmindedly lift to just above her elbows, and she began scratching lightly.

Suddenly, Dupe leaned forward in his seat, staring at her inquisitively. Then slowly, his hands reached out and caught her own shaking and scratching ones, pulling them away from her arms. He placed her hands back down in her lap and then leaned back in his seat. Alice stared at him, bewildered.

"Why do you do that?" Dupe asked softly, "Scratch your arms?"

Alice stared at him mutely for a moment, then her gaze fell down upon her hands, and then her gaze flickered across her arms. There were nail marks, tiny indents, and little red cuts across them. And for once they had not been struck by Terry. Though they had everything to do with him. She hadn't done it before him. Only after. And she wasn't quite sure why she did it anyway.

"I… I'm not sure." She answered, shrugging.

Dupe scrutinised her expression for a moment and then decided that she was indeed telling the truth, and sat back in his seat. He knew how to deal with rape victims. For gods sake, Elizabeth had been raped. But why was he struggling so hard with Alice? It's not exactly as if they were close. Or were they? She had opened up to him. She hadn't denied it. When she easily could've.

Alice watched Dupe with wide, frightened crystal blue eyes, and tears started to threaten her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to force them away. But there was something she really needed to ask Dupe. She just had to. And she was afraid of asking.

Alice inhaled slowly, "Dupe…" She started quietly, and the old man looked up at her, "You won't tell…" Alice found it hard to say his name. But Dupe knew who she was referring to anyway. Who else would she be talking about? "You won't tell Danny, will you?" She asked hoarsely.

Dupe swallowed. He knew what she wanted to hear. She wanted him to say that he wouldn't tell Danny. But he was no good at keeping secrets like this- especially from Danny, his best friend. About the woman that Danny just so happened to be in love with. How could he keep a secret like that from him? And wouldn't it be better for Danny to know?

"Alice-" Dupe started softly, and then he caught sight of slow, gentle tears trickling down her cheeks, and then her eyes closed and she looked away. Dupe felt his heart break a little for her. He decided to go for a different approach, "Why don't you want to tell Danny?"

Alice's eyes slammed open, and she jumped up onto her feet, shocking Dupe, and her mouth opened, but nothing came out for a moment. She struggled to string words together to explain in a way Dupe would understand. How could she explain it? Dupe hadn't been through it. Granted, his late wife had, but it wasn't the same. Nobody would understand except for someone who had been through the same type of trauma. To feel their ragged breath upon your skin, to cry out but them to cover your mouth, to struggle but for them to win, to close your eyes and pray for it to all be over. To feel dirty, unclean, impure. To constantly feel their presence upon your skin, to scrub away until your skin was red raw, for weeks upon weeks, but for that presence never to away. To be scared of being in the same room as anyone. To be scared of everything that exists on this planet. To have nightmares every night. To wake up screaming. To have no sleep whatsoever. To have the same nightmare over and over but still to be scared. To neglect everything else in your life because of your own stupid self-wallowing. To feel worthless. To feel like you don't belong. To not see yourself ever belonging. To feel alone in such a huge, _huge _world. To not see how you are going to wake up in the morning, put that big fake smile onto your face, and pretend that everything is alright. To not know how to live.

"I just…" She whispered, wrapping her arms around her own torso, as if hugging herself for reassurance, and a few more tears fell from her sapphire blue eyes, "I just don't want him to know how I… I'll disgust him."

"You'll disgust him?" Dupe literally cried, which caused Alice to flinch in fright. His tone softened, and he stood, standing directly in front of Alice, "Alice, you could never disgust Danny."

Alice's eyes grew soft at the mention of his name. "I will. I- Dupe, you wouldn't understand-"

"Like hell I would!" He scoffed, "Alice I know you're in love with Danny!" Alice's eyes bulged but she didn't comment, "And I know he's in love with you! And when you love someone they cannot disgust you or… or repulse him, or whatever. Look, you've been raped, Alice," Alice flinched, "It's not your _fault." _When she made to retort, he grabbed her wrist, pushing her sleeves up that she wore even though she was living in Africa. Just her forearm revealed a puzzle of scars and bruises, and Alice remembered how she had gained each one. "And neither are _these." _Dupe insisted.

"I deserved it." Alice withdrew her hand from Dupe, turning away.

"No you _didn't _woman- Did Charlotte deserve it?" Dupe was taking a chance. He had no idea whether the kid had been hurt or not, but it was the only example he could think of.

Alice's head whipped round at the mention of her daughter, "No!" She cried, "No! My daughter didn't deserve anything like that!"

"So you see? The man was just sick! You or Charlotte didn't deserve that!"

A tiny voice came from the doorway, "Terry was horrible."

Dupe and Alice both spun and saw Charlotte standing at the doorway. Neither said anything, their mouths hanging open, wondering how much Charlotte had heard.

"He stabbed mum- in her eye." Charlotte pointed to her eye, "With a pencil. I saw it. That was only one of the things. I saw a lot of it. But Mum thought I didn't." Charlotte looked at her mum with big eyes, "How could I not? I heard you crying every night Mum. I heard him hit you and I heard his shouts! Did you think that I could sleep when he was putting you through that?" Charlotte cried.

Alice blinked at her daughter, unable to say anything, momentarily speechless. And Dupe felt out of place. This was a mother-daughter moment. Dupe wasn't their family… Well he thought of Alice and Charlotte as his family. He didn't know how they felt about him though.

Charlotte continued, her voice growing louder and lacing with anger as she went on, "Do you think I'm stupid Mum? Did you think that I didn't care? Did he make you feel worthless? Did he make you believe that nobody cared about you?" A few tiny tears gathered in Charlotte's hazel eyes, "Well Mum- I do! I saw literally everything he did to you! And I was the _only _one who noticed! You need to let people in mum!" Alice guessed that Charlotte had heard about telling Danny- but then did that mean that she had heard about the rape? Did Charlotte even know what that meant? She was only ten years old, but after what she had witnessed…

Charlotte took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, and she no longer looked ten years old. She looked mature. Alice's eyes welled up in tears seeing her daughter like this. Her daughter hadn't had a proper childhood because of _her. _

"And what did I do? Once I noticed how much of a emotional wreck you were? You were shaking and hyperventilating just because he'd come _home _and you know what? It made me feel sick Mum. It made me feel like I was actually going to vomit! And even though I'm only ten years old, I wanted to beat his stupid little face to a pulp!" A solitary tear slid down Charlotte's cheek, "But when I tried to stand up for you, he hit me! But you know what Mum? I _know _that I didn't deserve it! And you knew that too! And what was I doing? I had been defending you, which meant you didn't deserve it! And when you saw him hit me; You defended me too. For once in your life you stood up for him! And seeing you fight him like that, seeing you defend me in such a way, after being scared of him for so long- made me so,_ so _happy! And I don't care what he's told you! I don't care whether he said your worthless! Because you know what? You're not! You're _Alice Collins, _and you're _my mum- _and I am so _proud _that you are! Because I wouldn't want anyone else in the world to be my mum!"

Dupe's face had grown soft as Charlotte had exclaimed her aggressive thoughts. Dupe could tell how much Charlotte loved her mum, and how much she despised this man for putting her mum through what she did. Charlotte had missed out on her childhood, by witnessing all this.

He realised that what Alice had been through was a lot worse than Elizabeth. Elizabeth had been randomly attacked, because she had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. But Alice had been betrayed by someone who was supposed to care for her, someone who was supposed to be there for her, someone who was supposed to love her. Someone who she was supposed to have loved. And she had been beaten until she was black and blue. And she had been emotionally, psychically, and mentally abused.

Yet she had been able to stay strong for her daughter, and put up with it, just so Charlotte would have a roof over her head and a man figure in her life, after all, Dupe knew that Charlotte's father didn't give a stuff. But how could he not? Dupe admired Alice Collins, and her daughter, for being through so much and still were able to be so strong. They were special.

And Alice had been able to put a façade on for the rest of Leopards Den, she had been able to cope with it, no matter how morbid her thoughts might have become. She had been able to keep living and keep moving forward. She had been able to get out of there, for the sake of her daughter. She had been able to confront her fears and fight against them, for the love of her daughter. And Dupe respected her so much. And he could see why Charlotte was proud of her mum.

He was proud of Alice, too.

Alice suddenly fell to her knees, and Charlotte ran into her mums arms, and buried her head in her shoulder. They didn't hold back. Their fresh, hot tears dripping from their eyes, sobbing into each other. Alice occasionally murmuring, "I love you so much, baby, I love you _so _much." And pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Dupe slipped out of the room, trying to go unnoticed. He was halfway down the hallway when he heard Alice call, "Wait! Dupe!"

Dupe turned to see Alice clutching onto Charlotte's hand- as if her life depended on it- in the doorway, both their eyes red-rimmed and their faces blotchy. Alice's emotions were splayed in her eyes, she wasn't guarded anymore, and Dupe felt overwhelmed with the pain he saw in her eyes. Dupe's heart melted for both her and Charlotte.

"I'll do it." Alice said strongly, "I'll tell Danny."

**A/N: Go Charlotte*Cheers her on*! I felt Dupe and Charlotte are pretty neglected(as well as Nomsa, but somehow I couldn't picture her getting involved) with main stories in Wild at Heart. Therefore that's why they're sort of the focus, and not Danny and Alice. **_**(Will they or wont they get together?) **_**So this mainly focuses on Alice/Charlotte moving on from Terry, with help from Dupe- and maybe Danny if I'm feeling nice.**

**Oh well, you'll soon find out. Three more chapters left! (Well Two Chapters and a Epilogue) Oooh(: **


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Man

**Can you fix me? **

'_**She's like an ancient artefact,  
Something you're lucky to have found.'**_

- Candlelight, Relient K

"_I'll do it" Alice said strongly, "I'll tell Danny."_

_**:]**_

Alice took a deep breath as she got that off her chest, and Dupe stared at her questioningly. She wasn't sure why she suddenly had all this confidence. Was it her daughter? Was it what Charlotte had said to her? Was it finally telling someone? Was it how she noticed it felt as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders?

"I need to let people in." Alice explained, quoting what her daughter Charlotte had said to her just moments before.

Dupe smiled, "Right then- You gonna do it or what?" He asked, and Alice laughed slightly at his gruffness.

"Yeah." She answered and then leaned down to kiss her daughters forehead, and whispered, too quietly for Dupe to hear, "Doing this for you honey." Charlotte squeezed her hand in answer.

Alice released her grip on her daughters hand and smiled down at her. Charlotte gave her an encouraging smile and then bounced off to get dressed. Dupe smirked, and Alice headed towards the animal hospital, guessing that was where Danny would be. Dupe didn't say anything, he didn't want to distract her or knock her off her stride, and let her pass, knowing that she was headed to the animal hospital where Danny should be.

Alice walked out onto the veranda and noticed Liv sitting with Caroline out there too. She was surprised that everyone seemed to be awake so early today. Was it some weird twist of fate? Either way, she was glad they were, that meant that she didn't have to wait in suspense for Danny to wake up. At least, she gathered that he was awake.

Alice threw Caroline a smile, a real, genuine smile, even though she was supposed to be nervous. Caroline noticed that Alice seemed different than usual. She was happy. Her smile was genuine. Not fake. She smiled at Alice in return and Liv looked up just as Alice was bouncing- not just walking- down the steps. And she smiled to herself.

As Alice walked into the animal hospital, she called, "Danny?"

There was no answer, so she headed further into the hospital, running her fingers along the wall as she did so. Why did everything seem so good all of a sudden? She noticed how cute the young lion cub in the pen was. She noticed how clean the animal hospital was from Danny's obsessive need to clean it. And she noticed the multiple photos on the side of the animal hospital.

Alice headed over towards the side, studying each of the photos. Every one of them had Danny in them, she noticed. One of them was of him and Dupe- god his eyes looked gorgeous there. One of them was of him, Rosie, Liv, Evan and Sarah- Bloody hell that smile. One of them was of him, herself, and Charlotte- he just looked overwhelmingly handsome there. She picked up the photo, cradling it gently in her hands, and a smile spread to her face. She had her hands on Charlotte's shoulders, and she was smiling towards Danny, Danny looking down at her and smiling in return. There was something there. Something that wasn't around when she was with anyone else.

Love.

Alice, her smile growing by every second, walked over to the chair, sitting down in it. Cradling the photo to her chest, she decided to wait for him in the animal hospital. She couldn't be too long. Besides, no harm could come to her, could it?

**:P**

Caroline and Liv sat out on the veranda, discussing anything that came to mind. Caroline was still on the look out for her husband, wondering what Alice had told him, what she had opened up to. And what had made her look so determined and… happy. For the first time since she had seen her. Alice's face looked rid of all problems, she looked peaceful.

A moment later, as Caroline was having a talk with Liv about her boyfriend, Thabo- as to which Liv continued to roll her eyes and sigh about- a silver ford pulled up outside Leopards Den. Caroline and Liv glanced at each other in confusion and stopped their conversation instantly. Which Liv was obviously grateful for. They didn't remember any guests being booked. After all, Caroline was in charge of all the guests. So they both turned to see who was climbing out of the car.

The man was of average height, with dark brown short, choppy hair, and dark brown eyes. He had a charming, persuasive smile as he glanced towards Caroline and Liv. Liv found him extremely attractive, losing herself in his dark eyes, but then pulling herself out of that. She was 16, he looked a whole lot older and besides, she had Thabo. Her eyes went a little dreamy as she thought of Thabo.

Caroline was first to speak up, her most poshest voice on, "Hello there, might I help you?"

The man looked up at her and smiled again, heading towards the veranda and walking up the steps before speaking, "Hello, I was wondering if I could speak to Alice Collins?"

"Oh, do you know her?" Caroline asked, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, she's an old friend of mine."

"I see, well she's just down in the animal hospital," Caroline nodded her head towards the building, "Feel free to go down there."

He smiled, "Thank you."

Caroline smiled in return and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, as walked down the steps. Then he headed towards the building that Caroline had indicated to him. He pushed the door open slowly, the door creaking, in desperate need of oil.

Alice looked up as she heard the door open. She knew Danny wouldn't be long. Realising she must look a bit weird, Alice placed the photo back down on the side, and leaned back in her seat, "Well well well Mr Trevanion." She called, "I'm actually here before you for once." Alice wanted the atmosphere to be relaxed before she got to tell him.

The man rounded the corner and Alice's eyes bulged open, "Mr Trevanion?" The man said, "You move on quickly don't you, slut?"

Only one word escaped Alice's trembling lips, "Terry."

**A/N: Sorry it's rubbish! But me mums sorta got drunk so I've got more things to worry about tbh.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Murder at Leopards Den

**Can you fix me?**

**A/N: This may be a crap update due to the fact that I didn't go to bed 'till 6 in the morning and was awoken at 10 by my mum who took my shopping for four hours, when I've been getting no sleep these past few days… silly me.**

**'_Those who are dead, are not dead.  
_****_They're just living in my head.'  
_**- 42, Coldplay.

_The man rounded the corner and Alice's eyes bulged open, "Mr Trevanion?" The man said, "You move on quickly don't you, slut?"_

_Only one word escaped Alice's trembling lips, "Terry." _

_**:]**_

Alice had never felt so frightened. Of course, she'd anticipated this day- a long time ago. She had always thought that Terry would come back and drag her away. Away from Leopards Den. Away from being safe. Away from Danny. Away from… home. But, she seemed to have just suddenly forgotten. How could she have forgotten that he would come sooner or later? Terror seized her every muscle. She couldn't move. Her eyes were as wide as saucer plates. She needed Danny. Someone. Anyone. How did he even know she was here? Who told him that she was down here? _Where _the hell was Danny?

"Cat got your tongue?" Terry sneered, walking towards her.

Alice swallowed nervously, she was too petrified to even moved. She willed for all of this to be another one of her nightmares. She had nightmares, of Terry, of what he'd done to her, every night. And she had to deal with what she had become after him everyday. A useless, quivering wreck, even though she did well to hide it. In fact, she was rather proud with how well she'd kept it secret. Maybe she could act like he didn't scare her, so that his cockiness would wear off slightly- no, she knew she was being ridiculous. She could barely even breath she was so frightened.

"You left me Alice. Did you run to one of your boyfriends, eh, slut?" He demanded.

"What are you on about?" She asked quietly, confused.

Terry gripped her hair in his hands viciously, she yelped in pain, then he pulled her up to her feet. Her muscles didn't comply, they'd turned to jelly. So she was literally being held up by the hair of her scalp, which was a very painful experience indeed. Alex couldn't even scream. She probably should have. That would attract attention. But would they even hear her from Leopards Den? Probably not. She couldn't scream anyway. She couldn't even whimper.

"That's why you left me, isn't it, Alice?" Terry spat, "That's why you deliberately disobeyed me, isn't it? _ISN'T IT?" _He roared.

Alice closed her eyes and wished for it to just all be over. Something was going to happen. Something very, very bad.

She just hoped it would be over quick.

**-xoxo-**

Dupe padded out onto the veranda, and saw his wife Caroline and his stepgrandaughter Liv seated at the table, and smiled to himself, pleased with the outcomes of today. He knew that this would only bring Danny and Alice closer. Alice confessing her darkest secret to Danny, to trust him with that, well he would feel privileged wouldn't he? And wouldn't he feel more protective(if possible) over her? Would he admit- would they both admit- to their feelings over each other? He hoped so.

"What are you looking so happy about Anders?" Caroline asked as he plonked himself down beside her, bringing with him that awful smell that she had grown to love.

"No reason Caroline, no reason at all!" Dupe replied happily, laughing.

Liv and Caroline exchanged confused glances with each other over Dupe's behaviour. What was up with him? But they chose not to comment on it, and returned to the topic of Thabo. Caroline was beginning to accept Thabo now, and Liv had received news that he would be coming to visit Leopards Den soon. She was glad that they would be able to see each other. Long-distance relationships just didn't work, especially at her age! And she really wanted things to work out with Thabo. He was unlike any other boy she'd ever known. He made her feel special. And those few days when they were together were the happiest of her life.

Dupe was busy smiling to himself so he was oblivious to Caroline and Liv's discussion, when Danny came stumbling out onto the veranda, rubbing his eyes. He looked like he hadn't had a good nights sleep. Dupe didn't blame him, nobody really slept around here anymore! Not with Alice's screams at night, anyway. But she had a reason, and nobody could blame her- well, not Dupe, Caroline or Charlotte, anyway. Considering they were the only ones who knew. Well, Charlotte didn't know about the rape, did she? But she had witnessed the rest.

Dupe was startled, "Trevanion? What the bloody 'ell are you doing out here man?"

Danny turned to him, his eyes heavy-lidded, they looked as if they were going to shut any moment. "Huh?"

"So Alice has just been down in the animal hospital on her own all that time then?" Dupe demanded, confusing Danny.

"What dyou mean Dupe?"

"She came to talk to you, you big idiot! But you-"

Danny was confused as to why he was on the receiving end of Dupe's anger, considering he hadn't done anything. He'd only just woken up! He'd even slept through his alarm because he was getting so less sleep now. Alice's screams kept him awake now. But not the noise. No, not the noise. The pain in the scream. And he felt her pain. And he wasn't sure why she was in pain and that just confused him but he was so worried for her and he was scared for her. Of course he would be, though. He loved her.

Caroline placed a hand on Dupe's arm, "A friend came for her."

Dupe spun around, "A friend?" Caroline nodded. But Alice didn't have any friends, surely? If she had been in an abusive relationship and had had friends, one of them would have noticed! "What did he look like?" Dupe demanded.

"Erm…" Caroline was baffled at her husbands behaviour, "Mid-height, dark brown hair, dark eyes, too. He was pretty average, Anders, why?"

Dupe turned to Danny, "Alice's ex- Terry or something, that's what he looked like, didn't he?"

Danny nodded sleepily, "Sounds like him."

"Bloody hell!" He cried, "Danny, you've got to get down there quick man!"

"What? Why?" Danny asked.

"What on earth is bothering you, Anders?" Caroline asked.

Dupe spun around to face her, panic etched across his face, "Terry was the one, Caroline! He was the one who abused her- He was the one who raped her!"

Caroline's eyes widened and behind him, Dupe heard Liv and Danny gasp. The whole moment seemed to be frozen, and nobody knew what to do or say. Dupe regretted saying it now. Alice was supposed to tell Danny herself, not using his loud mouth. But her life was in danger here. Seriously. That man was a madman. He had to be, to have done that to Alice. Alice never deserved that. To be hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally. It had broke her. It really had.

Suddenly, Danny burst into a sprint, heading towards the animal hospital. He still hadn't properly digested what Dupe had said. Alice? Abused? Raped? No, she was a fighter, she was strong, fiesty, she would never let something like that happen to her, would she? That only happened to the vulnerable, didn't it? Alice wasn't vulnerable! She was a fighter!

But it would explain why she screamed at night. People get nightmares from that sort of stuff, didn't they? And she had nightmares… the screaming… and she claimed she was 'dirty'… that meant a lot now that he knew what had happened to her. She was feel… well, he didn't know, she'd feel a whole lot of pain, to say the least.

He still comprehend that, out of all the people in the world, every single one, it had been Alice that it had happened to. It just didn't seem the kind of thing that happened. You heard about it on the news. You saw it on the television, in the newspapers. But you never imagined that it would be part of your life. Especially to someone so strong as Alice…

'_Strength is nothing more than how well you hide your pain' _- his mums words that she told him many times when he were younger flashed through his mind. At the time, he had just stared at her, dumbfounded, not actually understanding what she had meant. But now he understood. He understood it a lot. And he didn't like it- because It described Alice in one.

Danny burst into the animal hospital.

**-xoxo-**

Terry watched Alice as her eyes closed, defeated, hanging like a rag doll as he held her up by her hair, and he felt a deep sense of content. He'd won the long battle that they had been fighting. This slut, who had tried to act the innocent one, he _knew _she must have been sneaking around with other men behind his back, was giving up. She had finally learned to obey him. She had been struggling against him for so long when they had been together, she'd even gone so far as to run out on him. But he'd never have any of that. This filthy animal, this woman that he had once maybe _loved, _had betrayed him.

"You raped me, Terry." Alice whispered dejectedly, "You abused me. You left scars on my body. You are the reason I have these bruises. You hurt me, and I never deserved it, and neither did Charlotte."

"You lying bitch!" Terry roared, slapping her with the hand that did not hold her up.

The impact on Alice didn't work. She felt numb. Empty. He couldn't hurt her anymore. Terry would never be able to break her like he had once before. Maybe he had some control over what she felt then, but not anymore. He would never be able to break her again.

She was too far broken.

"I'm not lying." She whispered, "I'm telling the truth. You raped me, Terry, where's the good in that?"

Alice felt the fight begin to fill her, and she opened her big blue eyes to stare at him, her glare defiant. But she was still too weak and she was still too frightened to do anything.

"You're a filthy stinking whore, Alice-"

"I never once cheated on you, Terry, I loved you…" She mumbled.

Terry raised her higher in the air using her hair, which caused her to yelp, and then clumps of her hair ripped from her scalp, and searing pain shot through the crown on her head. Terry lost on his grip on her and she fell to the floor. He stared numbly from her dark thick locks that almost half of were in his hands now, and then down to her slumped figure on the floor, holding the back of her head where the hairs had been stripped away from. He threw the hair down violently, and then his leg pulled back.

The blow of his foot connecting with her body caused a loud sickening _crunch _and Alice screamed out in pain, a hand instantly flying the her right ribs. But that didn't stop him, and he repeatedly kicked her, again and again, as she yelped and cried each time. But she couldn't even move her head to look up at him, she was too frightened.

The door suddenly burst open.

"Get your hands off her, or I swear to god I will kill you!"

Relief coursed through Alice's veins.

Danny.

She was saved.

Or so she thought.

Terry laughed bitterly, "And who are you? Are you this Danny Trevanion then?"

Danny's eyes hardened and he felt sick to her stomach at the sight of Alice laying in a crumpled ball on the floor, one now-purple-bruised hand covering the right side of her torso, wincing with every breath. Danny looked back up at Terry. He knew there was something wrong with this guy, ever since he'd first seen the way he had handled Alice. Why hadn't he analysed it further? Why hadn't he followed his suspicions? Alice wouldn't be in this situation today if he had stopped being a coward.

"I'll bloody kill you, you bastard!" Danny yelled, taking and step forwards.

But very quickly, Terry grabbed Alice's crumpled form, causing her to scream out in agony as her right side was flooded with searing white-hot pain, and their was a flash of something silver.

Terry was standing behind Alice, one hand around her waist, gripping her tightly so it caused her more pain, causing her to sob more…

With a silver knife to her throat.

Alice closed her eyes. This was it. This was how it was going to end. Terry, who had been the cause of all this pain, was going to end her life for her. He was going to murder her because he was a sick, evil, twisted, bitter man. He was going to slice her throat and she knew it.

Terry's eyes were panicked though. This was not how he had wanted it to go. He wanted it to be slow, painful. He had wanted her to experience the pain he had when she had been a slut and left him for another man. She could deny it all she wanted, but she had! She had been a slut! But now he couldn't do it slowly, it would have to be quick, otherwise this Danny would find some way to stop it.

Terry began moving towards the door, Alice still in his arms and whimpering. Danny took a few steps backwards with his hands in the air, trying to show he wouldn't hurt him. Not now that he had Alice, and was all prepared to kill her. Danny swallowed, cautiously following Terry who was backing away, nearer to Leopards Den, with wide eyes. But Danny couldn't think like that. He wouldn't let Terry take his life away from him.

Terry was by the fountain now, stumbling with a limp Alice in his arms, the knife to her throat still. Alice's heart was beating ten to the dozen, no, no she couldn't die here. There was Caroline, Dupe, Liv, all who were out on the veranda and were now able to see everything clearly, and had all frozen, as if time had suddenly stood still.

Fresh tears erupted from her eyes when Charlotte came out onto the veranda with Nomsa.

"What's-?" Charlotte started, and then saw her mum being held hostage by Terry, Danny standing near with his hands in the air. "_Mum!" _She cried, and began hurtling down the steps.

"You take one step closer you little bitch and I will kill your precious Mummy!" Terry cried manically.

"Stay there, Charlie." Alice whispered, completely terrified as the two most important things in her life stood in front of her, and were going to see her die. Charlotte and Danny. They stood next to each other, simply staring at Terry, completely and utterly petrified for Alice's life.

Nobody moved for a long time. Alice was limp in Terry's arms, repulsed at the touch of the cold, metallic knife on her fragile skin, and Terry's ragged breathing on her neck. Danny stood transfixed and terrified with Charlie, trying to see how he'd save Alice. And everyone on the veranda was just frozen from what they had been doing. Dupe had paused mid-step, Caroline had paused with her hand in the air, Liv paused with her hands on her mouth, Nomsa had paused in the doorframe, with wide eyes.

Terry smirked, "I'm in control here!" He cried, and then looked at Charlotte, "You thought you were in control, weren't you? When you stood up to me, over your precious little _mummy- _you deserved that whack." Charlotte gasped and raised a hand to her cheek, remembering how he's punched her. Danny was disgusted- this man had hit a little kid? "And you," Terry growled, his grip tightening on Alice, "You thought you were in control, hitting me and punching me and escaping just because I hit your kid, didn't you? But now _I'm _control.

"You see this woman here?" Terry said, "You all thought she was invincible, right?" Terry laughed, "She does a pretty good show, I'll give you that…but… just touch her," Terry pressed a kiss to Alice's cheek, and she winced, "And she'll wince." Terry smiled, "She's the perfect example of betrayal." The knife pressed harder against her skin for a moment, and Alice lost her breath, "Because everyone she's ever loved has hurt her."

"Let her go." Danny hissed darkly, unable to look at Alice anymore, she looked to hurt and it was causing his heart to break. How could this man do this to her? What had she ever done to deserve this?

Terry smirked, "I think you're forgetting I'm the one in charge here." The knife twisted in Terry's hand and he brushed it over the skin of Alice's neck, He looked down at Charlotte.

"Say goodbye to Mummy, Charlotte."

Danny's eyes flickered back to Alice's, her terrified sapphire blue eyes meeting his own. The cold, sharp metal of the blade digging into her more insistently.

And then her eyes opened and, most normal people, they would have screamed out in agony. But she didn't. The knife penetrated her skin, drawing blood, slitting her throat… she was going to die. And it was so painful. And everyone was watching. And she probably should have screamed. But she didn't.

All she whispered was the word… "Danny."

**-xoxo-**

**A/N: Oh my god! Terry's a madman! He's killed Alice! :O *Runs around screaming* NO!**

…**Until next time.**


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Three Years Later

**Can you fix me? **

'_**I remember you like yesterday, yesterday,  
**__**I still cant believe you're gone.  
**__**I remember you like yesterday, yesterday,  
**__**And until I'm with you, I'll carry on.'  
**_- Yesterdays, Switchfoot.

_And then her eyes opened and, most normal people, they would have screamed out in agony. But she didn't. The knife penetrated her skin, drawing blood, slitting her throat… she was going to die. And it was so painful. And everyone was watching. And she probably should have screamed. But she didn't. _

_All she whispered was the word… "Danny." _

_**:]**_

_**Three Years Later**_

Danny stared numbly at the gravestone that marked her, Alice Collins, to be buried in this dirty earthy ground. She'd hate that. To only have a gravestone to mark her, to be the only proof that she had once lived. That she had, at some point, been happy. That she had been the most amazing mother he'd ever seen. To be the most strong person he'd ever met. To have been through so much yet still to have been able to smile. To have existed. To have brightened up his life with her smile. To have known him. To just… just to have lived. That was enough for him.

It was a simple black marble gravestone. Just like plenty of others. With the in scripted writing in white. He and Charlotte chose what to put on there. Together. Mostly Charlotte, Danny had just guided her in the right direction.

_**Alice Lily Collins**_

_**11.12.1975 - 10.8.2010**_

"_**Strength is nothing more than how well you hide your pain."**_

_**Loving mother to Charlotte Collins; Missed dearly by Danny Trevanion.**_

_Strength is nothing more than how well you hide your pain- _he had hated that quote, at first, when he realised what it meant. When he realised that it defined who a strong person is. When he realised that it defined who Alice was- and that was what inspired him to tell Charlotte about it. Because it defined Alice. It stated her clearly. As much as he hated that. But what better to put on her gravestone, than the words that stated her so clearly?

The wind billowed around both him and Charlotte as Charlotte laid the daises on her grave. Her favourite. They both knew that she would like them. They were nothing special, but they would have meant a lot to her. It was the little gestures that had meant the most to Alice.

She was peaceful now. They both knew that.

* * *

_Terry had cut her throat, they had all watched, completely superglued to their spots. It didn't last long. It wasn't slow motion. He cut her very deep, very quick. Blood streamed from the gash and Terry then whipped the knife away and ran for dear life. He was obviously terrified. _

_Dupe had ran in and called the police and an ambulance, but it was too late. Danny had signalled for Nomsa to take Charlotte away- who was screaming. She had witnessed so much at ten years old- and then he hurried to Alice's side. He sat beside her and held her head in his lap._

_Her gorgeous sapphire eyes had stared at him. He expected them to be glassy, unfocused- but she hadn't died yet. There was still life behind her beautiful eyes. But she wasn't fighting it. No, he could tell she wasn't. She just stared at him with the ghost of a smile on her trembling lips. _

_She had took his hand and laid it on her left, over her heart. It was beating slowly. But it was still there. She still had time left._

_Tears had trickled from his eyes, falling from the tip of his nose and splashing on their joint hands. No tears escaped her eyes._

"_I don't want you to leave me." He had whispered, "I need you." _

_Alice's eyes fluttered close and his heard had skipped a beat. Had she gone? Was she gone? Her heart was still beating though, under his fingers he felt that not-steady, slowing, rhythm. It calmed him. She was still alive. She would still be able to hear him, although those beautiful eyes of hers were shut. He wished that he would be able to see them again…_

"_I love you, Alice Collins." He'd whispered._

_Then he'd leaned down, and pressed his lips gently against hers. They should have been cold but they were warm and soft. She kissed him back lightly, and it was amazing, although it was a kiss of goodbye. He knew it. He felt her heartbeat quicken for the few moments their lips touched. It was amazing. _

_When he pulled back her eyes were open again, and he felt his heart melt. His tears stopped falling, his eyes simply watered. Those eyes… she looked so… happy… Well, if she was happy, then so was he._

_Alice opened her mouth to speak, but she looked tired, he pushed a finger to her lips, "You don't need to say it. I already know." He told her hoarsely._

_She smiled again, and exhaled lowly. She squeezed his hand that was still feeling her heart beat beneath him. Then she spoke before he could stop her, "You fixed me, Danny, and you didn't even realise you had."_

_Alice stared at him for a few more minutes, her breathing becoming shallow, her heartbeat even slower… until finally, her eyes closed, and her heart missed a beat. And another… and another… and another…_

_Alice had gone._

_This beaten form that was once Alice wasn't her anymore. It was just a empty, hollow body. There was no Alice here anymore. There wasn't a fighter anymore. There wasn't the woman he had grown to life. Just a body with a beautiful face which had once been occupied by the woman that he loved. Her face was peaceful, she wasn't in any pain now. She was happy. _

_He kissed her closed eyelids, and whispered, "Goodbye."_

* * *

Terry had been caught by the police, he had been running, obviously, but he hadn't got very far. They had locked him up straight away and Danny had asked them how long he would possibly get when they went to court. The police had told him that he would, probably, get life. This had made Danny just a tiniest bit happier. Terry would live through what Alice had been through since he had entered her life.

But later on Terry had strangled himself to death in the cell.

Danny wasn't sure how he felt about that. Terry had to easy way out, he was dead now, no more harm could come to him. But, also, Danny was glad he wasn't around anymore, that he had been driven to take his own life. It was confusing.

All he knew was that he was still in love with Alice. He was glad that she was at peace now. The funeral had been awful for him, he had completely broken down when he'd seen her pure white coffin. Holding the woman who was his life. But he'd had others there for him. Charlotte. Dupe, Caroline, Nomsa, Evan, Rosie, Max and Liv. Evan, Rosie and Max had never met Alice. But Danny told them all about her, he'd shown them pictures, and they had said they would have loved to meet her. Danny had smiled to himself. She would have loved to meet them, too.

Charlotte had been… amazing. She still was. She had had such a traumatic childhood, she had witnessed so much, yet she had still been strong. Strong. Danny hated that word.

It had brought them closer, Danny and Charlotte, and they had both helped each other get through it. Although Charlotte was a child, and Danny was an adult. But at the end of the day, they'd both loved the woman that meant everything to them. They had both got through it, in the end. Charlotte had continued living at Leopards Den.

She even called him Dad now. Because she said that he was there for her when she needed him the most, and had been there for his mum when she needed him.

"Four years." Danny mumbled.

Charlotte turned to Danny, "Dad?"

Danny looked up at her, "Yeah Charlie?"

A few tears slipped from her light green eyes, "I miss mum so much."

"I know, Charlie." He told her, wrapping two arms around her and holding her as she cried into his chest. He gazed over his head at Alice's grave. _She should have been here, _he thought- but he had to remind himself that Alice was at peace now, it was better for her this way, that he should stop being selfish. He stifled a sigh and pressed a kiss to Charlie's head, and then whispered, "So do I."

* * *

**A/N: I know it's not the happy ending you were all expecting. But, in a way, it's a happy ending for Alice- as I said, she's peaceful.  
****Besides, I find some weird sense of happiness from angst. I love reading it, and I adore writing it. I guess it's just because it reminds me that life can be worse than my own.  
****There'll be a epilogue, so hang about: ) **


	17. Epilogue: I did not die

**Can you fix me? **

'_**The world carries on, without you,  
**__**But nothing remains the same.'  
**_- Last of Days, A Fine Frenzy.

_A few tears slipped from her light green eyes, "I miss mum so much."_

"_I know, Charlie." He told her, wrapping two arms around her and holding her as she cried into his chest. He gazed over his head at Alice's grave. She should have been here, he thought- but he had to remind himself that Alice was at peace now, it was better for her this way, that he should stop being selfish. He stifled a sigh and pressed a kiss to Charlie's head, and then whispered, "So do I." _

_**-xoxo-**_

Alice watched with tears in her eyes as Danny and Charlotte mourned for her over her grave. She hated seeing them this way. But also it comforted her to know that Charlotte had someone there for her when she herself could no longer be there for her. She regretted not being able to be there for her precious daughter, it had been one of the hardest things, to leave her behind. Her daughter. Who she had so desperately fought to live for. But she had, left her, Charlotte. And she had been left in good hands. She had been left with Danny and the rest of Leopards Den. Danny. The man she loved.

They stood together for a few moments, a few tears escaping both their eyes. A few tears escaped Alice's own, too. And then they finally moved away, sparing one last look over their shoulders towards her grave. She took a look into Danny's soft green eyes that she loved so much, and she saw the love in his eyes. So she smiled to herself and let them go. They had their own lives to live. She loved them enough not to want them to hang onto them forever… she knew they loved her.

She never thought he'd love her. What would he see in her? But she chose not to judge his reasons. There was no 'Why' in love.

There was a poem that her mum made her learn off by heart when she was younger. At the time she hadn't a clue why her mum had taught her it. She hadn't understood it.

_I Did Not Die_

_Do not stand at my grave and weep.  
I am not there. I do not sleep. _

_I am a thousand winds that blow;  
I am the diamond glints on snow._

_ I am the sunlight on ripened grain;  
I am the gentle Autumn's rain._

_When you awaken in the morning's hush.  
I am the swift uplifting rush_

Of quiet birds in circled flight.  
I am the soft star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.  
I am not there; I did not die. 

_- Anonymous - _

Three months later her Mum had died of cancer. She understood why her mum had taught her it. It was more to teach her that she was not alone, that her mums spirit lingered on, even though she was scientifically 'dead'. But her spirit wasn't dead. She was very much Alive.

Alice understood it better now she had died, too.

It wasn't the best way to go, having your neck sliced by your deranged ex. But it was the way she _had _gone(There was a lot worse, after all). It was the way that her life had ended and there was nothing that she could have done to change it. She was glad Terry was dead. He deserved to rot in hell.

Danny and Charlotte were simply blobs in her vision now. Maybe she should follow them. Or maybe she should move on. She just needed to let go. Let them go.

That was what she needed. She needed to move on. She would soon see them, when… when the time came. When that unavoidable day came for them, she would see them again. That little thought alone helped her move on. Her last memory of this earth, in her living life, was dying whilst staring into Danny's eyes, and her last 'spirit' memory, was of Charlotte and Danny lying her favourite flowers onto her grave, and knowing they loved her.

After watching them these past three years she had plenty of time to think things over. First of all she had been able to think about her life. Terry's involvement. He had made her life hell. But she had got away from him. And, if it wasn't for him, it wouldn't have made her feel so much for Danny. Because if she hadn't been broken he wouldn't have needed to be fixed. By Danny. But she had been broken and he had fixed her.

**-xoxo-**

**A/N: That poem is gorgeous, isn't it? Shame nobody knows who wrote it and when it was written.  
****Well here's the end of this fic. I am rather proud of this fic, it's very different:') Not that I'm proud of my writing, I know it can be improved, but hey, practice makes perfect, right? ****I hope you understood what I was babbling on about when Alice 'moved on' so to speak. Oh, and, sorry this was rather short, but it's only an epilogue.**

**Well, I guess this is where I end it *sniff* I hope you liked it and review and let me know what you thought, please? I never thought I'd actually continue with this fic you know, I didn't think anyone would be interested in Alice's angst, but turns out you are.**

**Thanks for that=D**

**Ellie xo**

**(PS- I just bought a top that says 'WILD AT HEART' on it... Jealous?)**


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